Overview: Public Participation Plan

Context

Public participation is an essential part of open, informed and meaningful impact assessment. The Government of Canada is committed to providing the public with the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the process and to provide them with the information needed to participate in an informed way. The Impact Assessment Act (the Act) requires the development of a Public Participation Plan during the Planning phase for all projects subject to an impact assessment. The Public Participation Plan is designed to provide proponents, the public and other participants with certainty about how and when public participation will occur.  

Timeline for Completion

In accordance with the Act, the Agency must post a copy of the Public Participation Plan on the Registry within 180 days after the day on which the Initial Project Description of the project is posted on the Registry. As a result, the development of the Public Participation Plan is initiated early in the Planning Phase.

Contents of a Public Participation Plan

A Public Participation Plan will be tailored to a project and will include:

1. Objectives of the plan that reflect the views heard during the Planning phase.
2. A list of groups and individuals who have indicated that they have an interest in participating in the impact assessment.
3. How groups and individuals indicated they wish to participate in the assessment.
4. A table that describes the phases of the impact assessment and the engagement opportunities during each phase.

The Agency will post the draft Public Participation Plan to the Registry for public comment. In the case of a designated project regulated by a lifecycle regulator (the Canada Energy Regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, or the Canada–Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board), the lifecycle regulator will collaborate with the Agency to organize and participate in public participation activities.