Canada’s plan to fast-track approval of major infrastructure projects is facing increasing opposition from the country’s scientific community, with ecologists and biologists cautioning that the proposed reforms could weaken environmental oversight and put ecosystems and species at risk in jeopardy.
The Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution (CSEE), which counts about 930 scientists across Canada among its members, says that removing certain large-scale projects from review under the Impact Assessment Act would severely limit the government’s ability to identify environmental risks before construction commences. The group also warned that avoiding these assessments would mean missing chances to redesign projects to reduce environmental harm.
The concerns were raised following the federal government’s discussion paper, Getting Major Projects Built in Canada, which is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s drive to reduce approval timelines for strategic infrastructure like pipelines, electricity transmission lines and other nation-building projects.
Ottawa says the current regulatory system is often duplicative and can take more than five years to get project approvals, discouraging investment and hampering economic development. “The CSEE agrees that administrative inefficiencies need to be addressed, but strongly opposes reforms that would weaken environmental assessment requirements.
The submission is also supported by the Canadian Society of Zoologists and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists, and deals with a proposal that would permit some major projects to move ahead without a federal impact assessment.
The government discussion paper also looks at creating new federal economic zones and giving the Canada Energy Regulator a larger role in assessing projects like pipelines, electricity transmission infrastructure and offshore renewable energy developments.
Many of the projects pass thru environmentally sensitive areas and threaten to fragment wildlife habitats across several provinces, the CSEE said. Without comprehensive environmental reviews, Canada could face increased risks of water contamination, habitat destruction, declining wildlife populations and the loss of ecosystems that provide vital environmental and economic benefits, warn scientists.
“If projects are allowed to proceed without a full assessment of their environmental and public health impacts, there is a risk that communities will be left to deal with the consequences,” warned Julia Baum, President of the CSEE.
She added that environmental assessments often allow projects to be altered, sometimes in relatively minor ways, to achieve a much smaller ecological footprint before construction begins.
Another major concern involves proposals that would allow some initial construction activities to go ahead before environmental assessments are completed. The CSEE says that work like clearing land, dredging and building foundations often causes the biggest ecological disturbance and shouldn’t start until the environmental consequences are fully understood.
The organization also has expressed concern about possible changes to the Species at Risk Act. The reforms would give the federal cabinet the power to exempt certain projects from the law’s “jeopardy test” that approves developments as long as they are not threatening the survival or recovery of endangered species.
The measure is one of the strongest legal protections for wildlife in Canada, scientists say, and exemptions could put conservation decisions into the domain of politics and economics rather than science, they warn.
The CSEE is also critical of efforts to expand habitat offsetting under the Fisheries Act, which would make it easier for developers to offset the impact of damaging fish habitat by restoring or creating habitat elsewhere. Scientific research indicates that newly created ecosystems rarely attain the same ecological value of natural habitats that have evolved over centuries, the organization said.
In addition to the environmental problems, the society argues that rolling back existing protections could also have serious economic consequences. Canada’s forests, wetlands, freshwater systems, oceans and grasslands support important ecosystem services such as water purification, carbon storage, flood mitigation, fisheries and tourism that are a key part of the national economy.
The CSEE estimates the boreal region of Canada alone supports ecosystem services worth at least $93 billion annually, compared to just over $38 billion in net market value from resource extraction. It also draws attention to research indicating that protected and conserved areas in Canada contribute approximately $10.9 billion to GDP and sustain about 150,000 jobs each year.
The organization says weakening environmental legislation could leave Canada open to legal and trade challenges. It points out that the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) contains commitments that prohibit either party from reducing environmental standards to attract trade or investment.
Scientists also caution that the suggested reforms could impede Canada’s obligations under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and increase difficulty in fulfilling Indigenous consultation and consent duties in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Despite its criticisms, the CSEE is not opposed to major infrastructure development. Rather, the organization is advocating for what it calls “win-win” solutions that promote economic growth while preserving strong environmental protections.
Recommendations include strategic land-use planning, more investment in scientific expertise at the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, more use of regional environmental assessments before projects proceed, greater involvement of independent scientific experts and ongoing protection of critical habitats under Canada’s species-at-risk legislation.
The society also urges that projects be prioritized according to alignment with Canada’s climate targets and that strong protections for biodiversity and ecosystems be maintained.
The federal government says it will consult with industry, Indigenous communities, environmental groups and the public before finalizing the legislation, with a report expected by the end of summer.
