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Environmental and Ecological Sciences

This guide serves as a starting point for students in Environmental Science, Land Reclamation, Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership, and Science.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

What is the purpose of this guide?

This guide is designed to provide practical help to get you started in finding EIA  documents, which can be challenging since It often requires researching multiple sources, including websites from government agencies, non- profits, companies, but also library databases. Each source has its authority and use in the research process.

What is EIA?

It is a systematic process carried out by a company or organization (referred to as "the proponent")  to identify, predict, and mitigate the adverse environmental, social, and economic impacts of development projects before allowing them to proceed. EIA allows better decision-making, and includes opportunities for public engagement, most commonly involving Indigenous peoples (Government of Canada, n.d.).

When should EIA begin?

An environmental assessment takes place when "the proponent" seeks to carry out a project that has the potential to cause significant adverse effects on the environment. Examples of such projects include: the construction of a mine, the development of a large new marine terminal, the extension of a highway,  the construction of new waterways, or the development of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. According to Canadian law, environmental assessments are regulated by Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). 

Key Websites

           Find assessments across Canada, limit content by date, province, assessment type, among others.

           Search a listing of Government of Alberta open datasets.Note you can limit results to "environment"

           Provides access to environmental assessments that were undertaken under the former Canadian Environmental  

          Assessment Act. 

Find out more about environmental assessments in Canada’s North:

Examples:

  • Côté Gold Mine Project: Environmental Assessment Report: IAMGOLD Corporation (the proponent) is proposing the construction, operation, decommissioning, and abandonment of the Côté Gold Mine Project (the Project), which includes an open pit gold mine, an on-site metal mill and four structures for diverting water, located 20 kilometres southwest of the community of Gogama in northeastern Ontario.
  • Tazi Twé Hydroelectric Project: Environmental Assessment Report: Saskatchewan Power Corporation (the proponent) is proposing the construction, operation, decommissioning, and abandonment of a 50 megawatt water diversion type electrical generation station on the Black Lake Denesuline First Nation reserve land Chicken 224, approximately seven kilometers northeast of the community of Black Lake in northern Saskatchewan.

 

At a minimum, a normal EIA report will include the following:
  • A description of the proposed project including the nature and scale of specific activities involved.
  • The location and environmental setting for the project, and baseline environmental, social and cultural information
  • The potential positive and negative environmental, health, social, economic and cultural impacts of the proposed activity
  • Plans to mitigate potential adverse impacts and to respond to emergencies
  • Information on public consultation programs undertaken with respect to the proposed activity and actions taken by the Proponent to resolve public concerns
  • An assessment of cumulative effects, which are the combined effects of the proposed project and other activities that are occurring or may be reasonably expected to occur in the subject area.

Basics of Environmental Assessment

Document provides guidance on federal environmental assessments commenced under the former Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012). 

Impact Assessment Process Overview

Learn about the five phases to produce impact assessments: planning, impact statement, decision making among others. Website produced by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada.

The links below are government databases that are related to the Species at Risk Act (SARA), which is a law that seeks to prevent wildlife species in Canada from disappearing, to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated (no longer exist in the wild in Canada), endangered, or threatened as a result of human activity, and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened.

           Search species list by range, taxonomy group, risk category or schedule.

           A requirement of SARA is the establishment of this registry for the purpose of providing easy access to documents

           relating to matters under the act.

Information taken from Writing Support website at MHC:

Essay Structure The foundation to writing a good paper is having a strong knowledge of the basic structure of an essay. All academic essays must include an:

  • Introduction
  • Main body paragraphs
  • Conclusion

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Grammar

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