BC Environmental Assessment Office wants feedback on expedited process proposal<\/p>\n
Published 4:45 pm Thursday, March 12, 2026<\/p>\n
The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office wants feedback from the public on a newly-proposed expedited process that would cut approval times down by between 15 per cent and two-thirds of the normal time.<\/p>\n
The goal, according to the provincial government\u2019s news release, is to review the projects more quickly while still upholding obligations for consulting with First Nations.<\/p>\n
The process, which has not yet been adopted, would apply to proposals that are designated under the Infrastructure Projects Act.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther proposed major projects designated as provincially significant may also qualify,\u201d the release stated. \u201cThe government\u2019s aim in designating projects is to support faster delivery of those projects that bring substantial economic, social or environmental benefits for people in B.C.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the moment, the process exists as a discussion paper that will be circulated to First Nations, industry, project proponents, environmental assessment practitioners, local governments and environmental groups for feedback.<\/p>\n
The discussion paper and details about how to provide submissions are available at www2.gov.bc.ca\/gov\/content\/environment\/natural-resource-stewardship\/environmental-assessments\/environmental-assessment-process\/act-review<\/a>.<\/p>\n The public is also invited to provide input on public engagement and other aspects of the proposed expedited process.<\/p>\n Members of the public can fill out a survey until it closes on Monday, April 13, on the EAO\u2019s public engagement website at engage.eao.gov.bc.ca\/xEA<\/a>.<\/p>\n While the accelerated process would speed up projects that require environmental assessments, not every project would require such an assessment. The EAO didn\u2019t require a full assessment of the New Ingerbelle Pit expansion project at the Copper Mountain Mine in 2023, for example.<\/p>\n