Canada and New Brunswick have signed a co-operation agreement designed to deliver “one project, one review” for major projects that trigger both federal and provincial assessments.
The agreement was announced in Fredericton by internal trade minister Dominic LeBlanc, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, and provincial environment minister Gilles LePage, with LeBlanc attending on behalf of federal environment minister Julie Dabrusin.
Process speed is anchored to a stated federal objective of completing environmental and impact assessments within two years, which the agreement explicitly references as a target outcome of the streamlined approach.
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How it works
When a proposed project is primarily provincial, Canada states it will rely on New Brunswick’s environmental assessment and regulatory processes “to the greatest extent possible” for effects within federal jurisdiction. The framework also contemplates integrating New Brunswick requirements into a federal-led review for primarily federal undertakings or projects on federal lands.
The early-stage workflow is built around early notification and information sharing, including an explicit commitment for the federal agency and New Brunswick’s environment department to notify each other and potentially impacted Indigenous groups as early as possible when a project may fall under both regimes.
On review structure, the agreement formalizes the option of joint review panels, including consultation on joint panels when Ottawa is considering a review panel referral, and the possibility of joint integrated review panels.
Substitution and “one review”
New Brunswick can also request that a federal impact assessment be substituted to the province’s process or to a harmonized process. The provincial minister will make a written substitution request as early as possible and at the latest within 10 days of the federal decision on whether an impact assessment is required.
Where substitution is approved, the agreement indicates the applicable provincial process and timelines govern, and in harmonized cases the federal side commits to operate within the province’s timelines or a mutually agreed timeline.
The agreement also operationalizes “one review” beyond assessment into permitting and conditions, including coordination on potential conditions attached to federal decision statements and provincial approvals, and joint work to align permitting processes and reduce duplicative data submissions where possible.
New Brunswick’s deal is described by the federal release as the second co-operation agreement signed under the Impact Assessment Act, following the Canada–BC agreement signed in 2019.
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One Response
Finally not-so-common sense prevails. Let this be a template for the rest of the cats!