public interest Tag

14 Feb Bill 69 and the Impact Assessment Act: public trust regained or more of the same

Posted at 21:00h in Climate and Energy, Climate Change, Cumulative Effects, Environmental Assessment, Public Participation, Sustainable Communities by Jason Unger 0 Comments

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Bill 69 and the Impact Assessment Act: public trust regained or more of the same The Government of Canada’s promise to review the 2012 changes to various federal environmental laws has now come to fruition (see our summary of the 2012 changes here and here). This review...

03 May Spring Update on the Municipal Government Act Review

Posted at 19:49h in Municipal Government Act, Public Participation, Sustainable Communities by Brenda Heelan Powell 0 Comments

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As indicated in previous posts on this blog, the Alberta government has been actively reviewing the Municipal Government Act (MGA). In their recent News Release, the Government has indicated that it will be introducing legislative amendments in May. In addition, there will be several open...

02 Feb NEB begins cross-country consultation on pipeline safety

Posted at 10:57h in Land Use, Pollution & Emissions, Public Participation by Brenda Heelan Powell 0 Comments

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The National Energy Board (the “NEB”) recently began its public engagement initiative relating to pipeline safety [the information about the cross-country engagement initiative in this blog post was gathered from the NEB’s website at www.neb-one.gc.ca ]. The NEB seeks public input on pipeline safety and...

04 Oct Pembina ruling shines spotlight on need for reform

Posted at 09:27h in Environmental Assessment, Public Participation by Cindy Chiasson 5 Comments

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This week, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench issued a ruling on public engagement in environmental decision-making in Pembina Institute v. Alberta (Environment and Sustainable Resources Development), 2013 ABQB 567. While the decision is noteworthy because it found that Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development...

01 Mar Filling in the gaps – more reasons to speak up about Alberta’s new energy regulator

Posted at 13:43h in Energy, Land Use, Public Participation by Cindy Chiasson 0 Comments

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[caption id="attachment_1710" align="alignright" width="300"] Image courtesy of Rosemary Ratcliff / http://www.freedigitalphotos.net[/caption] Alberta Energy is now half-way through its consultation workshops on regulations under the Responsible Energy Development Act, which will set out process and rules for the new Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). The workshops will be...

25 Feb Another government consultation? Why Albertans need to speak up about the new energy regulator.

Posted at 14:30h in Energy, Land Use, Public Participation by Cindy Chiasson 2 Comments

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[caption id="attachment_1712" align="alignright" width="216"] Image courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/caption] Many of you may have missed the most recent news about Alberta’s single energy regulator, just before the Family Day long weekend. The Alberta government issued a press release on Valentine’s Day, announcing 18 public...

13 Nov Who needs science when we have propaganda?

Posted at 12:47h in Environmental Assessment, Public Participation by Brenda Heelan Powell 2 Comments

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A recent news report indicates that the federal government intends to spend $4 million to promote its environmental protection record. In light of recent cuts to organizations that work for environmental protection, this is very frustrating to say the least. There are numerous examples of funding...

17 Feb The times, are they a-changin’? Standing and the ERCB

Posted at 11:14h in Energy, Public Participation by Cindy Chiasson 3 Comments

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For many years, one of the most troublesome points in environmental law in Alberta has been the very narrow scope of standing, the right to participate in court, regulatory or other legal proceedings. This has been particularly evident in relation to energy development and proceedings...

24 Jan Pipelines and participation: Radical rhetoric, planning and public interest

Posted at 15:38h in Public Participation by Jason Unger 1 Comment

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There has been significant ink devoted to the recent pipeline proposals in the United States and Canada linking oilsands production to world markets. There has also been some interesting rhetoric being thrown around by the federal government and others lobbying in support of these projects. In...

19 Dec Help us get it right in 2012: A note to our friends

Posted at 15:16h in Climate and Energy by Environmental Law Centre (ELC) 0 Comments

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[caption id="attachment_1161" align="alignright" width="225"] Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/caption] 2012 will be a significant year for our environment. Political change is in the wind, a provincial election is coming, and Alberta is under pressure internally, nationally and internationally to demonstrate effective environmental stewardship and strong regulatory...

15 Apr What’s standing and why should you care?

Posted at 10:11h in Public Participation by Leah Orr 0 Comments

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When the lawyers were figuring out a theme for this issue of News Brief, I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I didn’t know what they meant by “standing.” I’m sure I’m not the only person who isn’t clear on the concept. After reading and editing...

14 Jul Feds gut environmental assessment (again). Public in the dark (again).

Posted at 09:39h in Public Participation by Leah Orr 0 Comments

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By Adam Driedzic Staff Counsel, Environmental Law Centre You don’t have to be an environmentalist to be concerned with this one. For the second straight year, the federal budget bill passed with Trojan horse provisions unrelated to the budget. The perennial target is the federal environmental...