Environmental Planning & Assessment Caucus

Vision

The Environmental Planning & Assessment Caucus’ (EPA Caucus) members share a common vision of truly effective environmental assessment (EA) in Canada, including the integration of EA into development planning.

What We Do

Through face-to-face meetings and regular communication, the Caucus allows its member groups to bring forward a strong public interest analysis of the many facets of environmental planning and assessment in this country. Among other things, this allows Caucus members to inform the environmental community about developments and issues connected with the Impact Assessment Act and its regulations and allows member groups to fit local initiatives into larger policy contexts.

The strong communication between diverse member groups located in all regions of Canada and the energy, knowledge, and "on the ground" experience of its members make the Caucus the most substantive and dynamic network of environmental assessment expertise in Canada today.

Caucus members met for an in-person meeting from October 16–18, 2026, in Victoria, British Columbia. Discussions focused primarily on Bill C-39 and its potential implications for federal impact assessment processes and major projects across the country, including what proposed legislative and regulatory changes could mean for environmental protection and meaningful public participation.

EPA Caucus Responds to Bill C-39

Building on discussions at our October 2026 in-person meeting in Victoria, BC, the EPA Caucus has continued its work to address concerns surrounding Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, and its potential implications for federal impact assessment and environmental protection.

Following the meeting, the Caucus developed two submissions outlining its position on the proposed legislation and recommendations for addressing its potential impacts. These include a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney calling for the withdrawal of Bill C-39, and a detailed submission to the House of Commons and Senate committees reviewing the legislation, identifying priority amendment areas to strengthen environmental protections, transparency and accountability, and meaningful participation.

Read the Caucus's submissions:

• Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney: Call to Withdraw Bill C-39 (November 2, 2026)

• Letter to Parliamentary Committees: Priority Amendment Areas for Bill C-39 (October 26, 2026)

Fall 2026 Webinar Series

Resource Nation: Public Engagement in the Fast-Tracking Age

Webinar 2: November 9 from 2-3 PM ET

Nuclear Expansion, Major Projects, and the Environment: What’s at Stake for Communities and Rights-Holders?

Panelists:

Brennain Lloyd: Brennain Lloyd is a community organizer and public interest researcher and writer in northeastern Ontario. For the last 30 plus years, Brennain has worked with environmental, peace and women’s organizations as a facilitator and adult educator supporting public participation in environmental and natural resource decision-making and various planning processes.  

Brennain’s primary organizational affiliation is with Northwatch, the regional coalition of environmental and social groups in northeastern Ontario formed in 1988 to address regional issues related to energy, forests, waste management and water quality and – on a recurring basis – nuclear waste burial schemes. 

Kerrie Blaise: Kerrie Blaise is an accomplished lawyer practicing in the fields of environmental and Indigenous law and the 2026 recipient of the esteemed Guthrie Award. She is one of only a handful of public-interest environmental lawyers serving Northern Ontario and in 2023, founded the environmental law non-profit, Legal Advocates for Nature's Defence. At LAND, she works to advance the protection of Indigenous rights and nature in response to urgent threats to lands and waters and amplify community voices – whether in the courts, before lawmakers or in public forums – to precipitate change.

Kim Reeder: Kim Reeder is a settler who works for the Passamaquoddy in what is commonly referred to as southwest New Brunswick. Her primary work is focused on nuclear power generation and its impacts. 

In Passamaquoddy homeland, the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating station has operated since the early 1980s and currently, there are plans by the government and NB Power to expand nuclear development. 

Webinar 1: October 13 from 2-3 PM ET

Bill C-39, Major Projects, and the Environment: What’s at Stake for Climate and Nature?

Bill C-39 is the Carney government’s latest set of measures to dramatically weaken Canada’s environmental laws. Coupled with Bill C-5 and recent regulatory and policy changes, it amounts to the effective evisceration of federal impact assessment and could lead to the extinction of iconic species at risk, including the Southern Resident Killer Whale. This webinar will unpack what Bill C-39 does and what it means for nature and climate. 

Join us for a conversation with experts from West Coast Environmental Law, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and Ecojustice as we explore the proposed approach.

The webinar will provide an overview of Bill C-39 and related regulatory and policy changes and their implications for communities, climate, biodiversity, and perspectives on how Canada’s nature and climate priorities could be better integrated into major project decision-making.

Join our panel of environmental experts Anna Johnston (WCEL), Justina Ray (WCS Canada), and Isabel McMurray (Ecojustice) as they unpack Bill C-39 and what it means for Canada.

Winter 2026 Webinar Series Resources

Webinar 1: January 15 from 2-3 PM ET

What’s Going on with Federal IA? Public Engagement in Nation-Building Times

The federal government, along with some provinces, are rewriting the rules to fast-track projects deemed to be in the national interest. Some of those rules, like Bill C-5, the Building Canada Act, do not require public participation in major project decisions. What do these changes mean for federal impact assessment and the public’s ability to have a say in decisions that affect them? In this one-hour webinar, Anna Johnston, John Sinclair, and Tina Northrup discuss the changes and how the public can be meaningfully involved.

Webinar 2: February 12 from 2-3 PM ET

Regional Assessment: The Path to More Efficient, Effective and Trustworthy Project Decisions?

The federal government’s economic agenda includes fast-tracking projects it considers nation-building. Simply cutting timelines risks environmental disaster and Indigenous and public opposition, but can regional assessment offer a better solution? Join experts for this one-hour webinar about how regional assessment can make project decisions more informed, fair and efficient. 

Publication: Impact Assessment Act 101

Latest Caucus Submissions

October 3, 2024

In July 2024, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada released a Discussion Paper on the Project List Review under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). In response, the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EPA) Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) has submitted detailed comments, offering recommendations on key areas of concern. These include the amendments made through the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, the evidence supporting proposed changes, and the transparency of the overall process.

The EPA Caucus' submission emphasizes the importance of a credible and transparent Project List that effectively captures physical activities with the potential for significant environmental impact. Our recommendations aim to improve both the process and outcomes of project-specific impact assessments, ensuring they address sustainability, cumulative effects, and public participation. Without such reforms, there is a risk of undermining the ability of impact assessments to safeguard ecological integrity.

Additionally, the submission draws on the expertise of the Caucus' Designations, Amendments, and Project List Working Group, supported by consultations with the Caucus Steering Committee and allied environmental groups. It represents the consensus recommendations of the EPA Caucus, reinforcing the need for a revised and robust Project List framework that better reflects the environmental challenges Canada faces today.

Submission on the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada Discussion Paper on the Project List Review

October 11, 2024

In October 2024, the Federal Lands Working Group of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (EPA) Caucus of the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) submitted comments on the proposed Ministerial Exclusion Order under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA). The Working Group voiced concerns about the lack of transparency and insufficient public data to justify expanding the number of projects excluded from federal impact assessments, aligning with critiques from the Manitoba Eco-Network.

The submission highlights three primary issues: inadequate implementation of the Sections 81-91 process, lack of evidence ensuring that additional exclusions will cause only insignificant environmental effects, and the need to exclude projects on sensitive federal lands from the exemption list. The Working Group recommends that the Impact Assessment Agency prioritize public accountability and improve evidence-based decision-making, especially regarding the ecological context, to avoid significant or cumulative environmental impacts.

Submission on the Proposed Ministerial Exclusion Order under the Impact Assessment Act