With the launch of the Major Projects Office (MPO) intended to identify and get “nation-building projects” like port, railways and energy corridors built faster, a federal spokesperson reiterated that the objective of “one project, one review” won’t override the Yukon’s assessment process.
That’s because environmental assessments under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act (YESAA) already achieve the goal since the processes undertaken by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) inform territorial and federal government decisions, according to an email statement from Pierre Cuguen, a spokesperson for the Privy Council Office.
“If a project in the North were to be included as a project in the national interest, this treaty-based environmental assessment process would continue to be undertaken, in parallel with any other federal authorizations falling under the streamlined process established by the Building Canada Act,” Cuguen wrote.
In June, a YESAB spokesperson told the News the passing of Bill C-5 at the federal level won’t affect the Yukon’s risk assessment body or the legislation related to assessing potential impacts of proposed projects on the environment and social and economic dynamics in the territory.
The federal bill is meant to speed up “nation-building projects” and get rid of federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility.
Not a single project has been identified in the national interest under the act to date.
Yukon Premier Mike Pemberton and his predecessor Ranj Pillai have pushed for the feds to recognize Yukon-British Columbia electrical grid connection as a project that’s in the nation’s best interest.
Headquartered in Calgary and led by Dawn Farrell, an executive and corporate director who chairs the Trans Mountain Corporation and previously served on the ATCO Ltd. board, the MPO will provide a point of contact for major project proponents.
The MPO will work with the Northern Projects Management Office to coordinate reviews on major projects, including those deemed in the national interest, while also trying to get domestic and global capital to pay for these projects, Cuguen said.
Contact Dana Hatherly at [email protected]