Highlights of the Year

Overview

2004/05 was a year of significant achievement for the Environmental Assessment Office, as nine projects were certified under the environmental assessment process. What makes this commendable is the fact that the Environmental Assessment Office is currently handling more than three times the number of reviewable projects forecast from the Service Plan and budget in 2001. The list of certified projects includes the first two wind farms to be certified under the environmental assessment process in British Columbia. In certifying these projects and reviewing just over 30 others, we were able to balance the increased workload while meeting our financial and performance targets.

This past year, the Environmental Assessment Office continued to work with other government agencies, including the federal governing bodies, and our clients to improve upon the environmental assessment process. The Environmental Assessment Office worked diligently to identify process-related concerns and actively address client satisfaction. Clarification of our processes was one of the issues raised from the results of the 2004/05 Client Satisfaction Survey. In response, the Environmental Assessment Office developed "A Guide to Preparing Terms of Reference", which serves as a reference source for proponents and stakeholders.

In addition to the above accomplishments, a high level of public consultation and First Nations participation has been maintained.

Projects Under Review, Certified, Amended or Exempted from the Process

During the 2004/05 fiscal year, nine projects were certified (Appendix B) and forty-one projects were in the environmental assessment process (Appendices B,C, D). Also, five existing project approval certificates issued under the previous legislation were amended (Appendix E). Further information on the status of each project review, location of projects, and issues raised is available on the Environmental Assessment Office's electronic Project Information Centre (ePIC) on the internet at http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca.

Under the recent legislation, the Environmental Assessment Office may determine that an environmental assessment certificate is not required for a project if the Office is satisfied that the project will not result in any significant adverse effects, when practical mitigation measures are taken into account. In the past year, it was determined that the Dunkley Lumber Mill Expansion would not require an environmental assessment certificate. When such a determination is made under the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act, projects must still obtain all relevant permits and meet all regulatory requirements before they can proceed.

Intergovernmental

When a project is subject to both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act as well as the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Act, the Environmental Assessment Office ensures that overlap and duplication for both processes is reduced to the greatest extent possible. In March 2004, the governments of Canada and British Columbia approved the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Environmental Assessment Cooperation (2004) to reduce overlap and duplication and to ensure that provincial timelines are considered in joint reviews. In 2004/05, ongoing communication between the federal and provincial bodies has aided in achieving our target of harmonizing the review process and achieving timely decisions.

First Nations

The Environmental Assessment Office continues to work with First Nations to support their participation in reviews and to ensure aboriginal issues are appropriately considered through meaningful consultation and accommodation where indicated. The Environmental Assessment Office has developed tools to assist proponents in addressing First Nations' interests, including a relationship building agreement template and a case study of joint ventures and benefit agreements. Proponents, as well as the federal and provincial governments, continue to work with First Nations on issues related to individual projects as well as larger economic and resource issues.