Environmental Law & Policy

May
27
2024

Issue Brief: Federal government proposes changes to Impact Assessment Act

As part of the legislation to implement the 2024 Budget, the federal government has proposed changes to the Impact Assessment Act. The changes follow last October's Supreme Court ruling that deemed parts of the Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional. Under the proposed changes, trans-boundary greenhouse gas emissions from proposed major industrial projects will no longer trigger federal environmental reviews. Legal experts and environmental organizations raised concerns that the federal government was abandoning its role in regulating GHG emissions. Read More

Environmental Law & Policy
Environmental Assessment
Issue Briefs
Mar
21
2024

Issue Brief: Alberta government announces new restrictions on renewable energy development (Updated)

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Last Updated: March 20, 2024

Latest Updates | March 5, 2024 Updates

On February 28, 2024, following a 7-month "pause" on the approval of new renewable energy projects in the province, the Government of Alberta (GoA) announced their plans for future renewables development, and issued a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) advising them of the policy, legislative and regulatory changes that they intend to advance regarding the development of renewable energy projects. What follows is a compilation of news coverage, opinion and analysis, and responses to the government's announcement from AEN members, and other environmental advocacy organizations.

Latest Updates

On March 15, 2024, the Government of Alberta sent a draft map to industry members, providing additional clarity on the areas where renewable energy development will be restricted. The map was less restrictive than some had feared, but questions remain.

Earlier, the Alberta Utilities Commission released the first of two reports resulting from its inquiry into the renewable energy industry in Alberta. The report concluded that compared to other forms of industrial development, renewables power projects pose little threat of agricultural land loss, and have "well-understood and relatively contained reclamation risks."

Climate Change
Energy
Renewables & Alternatives
Environmental Law & Policy
Land Management & Stewardship
Alberta Environmental Network
Issue Briefs
Nov
22
2023

The SCC Impact Assessment Act Decision

Environmental Law Centre
Nov 22 2023 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Join panelists Brenda Heelan Powell (ELC)  and Prof. Andrew Leach, and Prof. Cameron Jefferies, from the Faculty of Law (University of Alberta) as we dive into the Supreme Court decision regarding the federal Impact Assessment Act to discuss the decision’s implications for federal assessment of projects and what the case means for federal approaches to sustainability.

When: November 22, 2023, noon-1:30pm

Where? Read More

Register (In-person)
Register (Zoom)

Location

Room 237/231
Law Centre, University of Alberta
Edmonton , AB ,
See map: Google Maps
Environmental Law Centre
Environmental Law & Policy
Environmental Assessment
May
26
2022

Issue Brief: Alberta Court of Appeal finds Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional

On May 10, 2022, in a 4-1 decision, the Alberta Court of Appeal issued its opinion that the federal Impact Assessment Act is unconstitutional. The constitutional challenge was launched by the Province of Alberta after the Act became law in 2019. In response, the federal government swiftly announced its intention to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.  Decisions issued in constitutional references such as this, are considered non-binding, so the Impact Assessment Act remains in force.

A number of legal experts have expressed the opinion that the constitutionality of the Impact Assessment Act would be upheld by the Supreme Court. Read More

Environmental Law & Policy
Environmental Assessment
Issue Briefs
Jun
23
2022

Water law and policy: Gaps, opportunities and law reforms

Environmental Law Centre
Jun 23 2022 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

From the ELC website:

The Water Act was proclaimed into force on October 7th, 1998 and it represented a significant evolution in how the province could plan and manage water for environmental purposes. However, in the 23 and half years since its proclamation, the potential of the Act has yet to be realized. Read More

Source: Environmental Law Centre
Environmental Law Centre
Environmental Law & Policy
Fresh Water
May
31
2022

Gaining Steam: A Regulatory & Policy Framework for Geothermal Energy Development in Alberta

Environmental Law Centre
May 31 2022 - 12:00pm
Jun 7 2022 - 12:00pm
Jun 14 2022 - 12:00pm

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From the ELC website:

Did you know that in late 2021, the Geothermal Resources Development Act became law in Alberta? Read More

Source: Environmental Law Centre
Environmental Law Centre
Renewables & Alternatives
Environmental Law & Policy
Apr
22
2022

Issue Brief: Woodland caribou conservation and recovery in Alberta

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Updated: April 22, 2022

On April 8, 2022, the Government of Alberta released sub-regional caribou recovery plans for the Bitscho Lake and Cold Lake sub-regions. Environmental groups are concerned that the plans lack a commitment to aggressive short-term actions that are necessary due to decades of inaction. There has also been criticism of the government's commitment to collaboration with Indigenous communities on Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.

Biodiversity and Wildlife
Wildlife Protection
Environmental Law & Policy
Indigienous Peoples Issues
Alberta Wilderness Association
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
Ecojustice
Issue Briefs

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Truth & Reconciliation at AEN

Learn more about our process and progress, and share your thoughts with us, on our Decolonization and Indigenization page.

It is our understanding at the Alberta Environmental Network that Reconciliation starts with the land, and there is no Reconciliation until we have faced the Truth. While Truth is held collectively, we recognize everyone is on their own learning journey, at their own pace. Our work at AEN focuses on the lands outlined by the Province of Alberta, lands with which we are learning to be in kinship relationship, in the nêhiyaw (Cree) spirit of treaty-making. The lands we work for are described in Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10. The traditional keepers of this land are Anishinabe, Nêhiyawak (Cree), Dené, Dane-zaa, Nakota, Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), Tsuut’ina, and Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy); this land is also the homeland of the Métis. We are committed to building meaningful reciprocal relationships, to be of service particularly to those directly experiencing the effects of oppression, genocide, and exploitation.