As part of the ongoing Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) review, the Environmental Assessment Office is proposing an expedited pathway for Provincially designated projects under the Infrastructure Projects Act. The proposal is intended to support the Province’s broader effort to streamline approvals for natural resource and infrastructure projects, with implications for local government roles and community engagement.
Local governments are invited to an initial online information session on March 24, and to provide written submissions to the discussion paper that details the proposed expeditated assessment process.
The expedited assessments would be conducted under the EAA and tailored for projects designated by the Province as critical to infrastructure delivery and provincially significant priorities. The EAO is seeking feedback from assessment participants, starting with local governments, on the expedited assessment process.
In parallel, the Ministry of Infrastructure is developing regulations to determine eligibility criteria for the Infrastructure Projects Act, which are expected to be finalized in mid‑2026. Engagement with local governments on criteria for project designation and guidelines for local governments are ongoing.
Local governments play a key role in environmental assessments as members of technical advisory committees and, in some cases, as project proponents. Because this expedited process is explicitly intended to accelerate assessments, there are potential impacts on local government authority and roles, permitting processes and community engagement.
Historically, UBCM members have expressed concerns about the scope, implementation and resourcing of environmental assessments. Specifically, members have called for enhanced local government and community engagement (2016-B33), adequate participant funding, including compensation for staff time and resources (2017‑B113), and enhanced post‑approval monitoring and compliance to ensure adherence to mitigation measures (2023-NR37). UBCM resolutions have also emphasized a need for increased consideration of cumulative effects (2024‑EB44), climate change (2022‑NR41), and health, social and public safety impacts (2023‑NR37, 2015‑B61). These long‑standing issues remain relevant as the Province considers changes to assessment processes.
UBCM welcomes efforts to accelerate provincially-led approvals for essential infrastructure but has raised concerns about limited consultation during the development of the Infrastructure Projects Act (Bill 15), and the broad override authorities in this legislation, which affects OCP, zoning and subdivision processes. Members are seeking assurance that local permitting rigour will be maintained, clarity on who bears any financial impacts when provincial decisions supersede local processes, and guidance on liability when provincial intervention alters local regulatory decision‑making.
The current engagement provides an opportunity for local government practitioners to provide input on the scope, safeguards and sequencing of the expedited assessment process before regulations and operational guidance are finalized.
Engagement will continue through to mid‑2026, with additional sessions planned for interested local government representatives as policy development proceeds. This engagement and review is part of the wider EAA review.