According to the many accounts that we've received, the evening reception and day of panel discussions were a success.

We are very grateful to our many presenters. Thank you for the time you took to prepare and attend.

We would like to express again our appreciation to our sponsors — Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Lafarge North America.

As well, much credit is also due to all of the delegates who attended and contributed your insights, questions and observations.

We invite any further feedback you care to send along. There will be no formal survey, but suggestions for ways to improve future events are always appreciated. We would also be very happy to hear suggestions for other topics that would benefit from open discussion and from the same range of perspectives that we hope we brought to the subject of Environmental Assessment in Canada.

Contact information:

Tom Carpenter
Senior Manager, QIEEP
613-533-6000 Ext: 74710
Tom.Carpenter@QueensU.ca

Lisa Doulas
Conference Organizer
613-539-2482
LDoulas@Cogeco.ca

Catastrophic accidents such as the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Enbridge oil pipeline spill into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, and Hungary’s toxic sludge spill, serve as flashpoints that heighten concern and drive a broader, more urgent discussion about the safety and sustainability of current approaches to exploiting natural resources. In the wake of the Gulf spill, increased concerns were raised in Canada about whether a similar disaster could happen here, and whether our policies, legislation and regulations are robust enough to protect our offshore and northern environments. Because of its anticipatory “look before you leap” nature, environmental assessment may be one of the most important and effective instruments we have for getting out ahead of these imposing challenges.

Environmental assessment (EA) has long been recognized as a powerful planning and decision-making tool in the pursuit of sustainable development. It is also widely acknowledged that EA has tremendous potential as a vehicle for grappling with the difficult trade-offs society faces as it strives to find a balance between the often-conflicting imperatives of economic development and protecting an increasingly fragile environment.

Canada’s federal EA process under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA ) has had mixed reviews since coming into force in 1995. The process has delivered on many of the objectives set out in the legislation, but it is also fair to say that there is consensus on the need for improvement. Given the inescapable connection between the world’s thirst for fossil fuel energy and our most pressing, collective environmental challenge — climate change — it is crucial that an effective environmental assessment regime be in place to support sustainability objectives in the oil and gas sector.

Recently, Parliament referred the mandatory, 7-year review of CEAA to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. It is anticipated that the Committee will begin its examination of the legislation in the spring. The review presents an opportunity for interested stakeholders to bring forward views on whether, and to what extent, the federal EA law is achieving its objectives, and to make recommendations on how to improve it.

Against this backdrop, the Queen’s Institute for Energy and Environmental Policy (QIEEP) will be holding a conference on April 14th and 15th, 2011 at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

“Clean Energy Superpower and Environmental Assessment: Canada’s Ambitions and Choices”

Using Canada’s avowed desire to be a “clean energy superpower” as the springboard for discussion, the conference will examine environmental assessment of projects in the oil and gas sector, with a particular focus on oil sands and on the offshore. Three expert panels composed of a mix of senior officials from government and regulatory bodies, the academy, non-governmental environmental groups (ENGOs), industry representatives and aboriginal groups, will delve into the contribution of the federal environmental assessment process to the overall regulatory framework governing these activities in Canada. Speakers on a fourth and final panel will provide a range of suggestions as to which issues the Parliamentary review of CEAA should focus on, building in part on the outcomes of the three previous panel discussions.

Who Should Attend?

This conference will focus on the key policy issues that arise in connection with federal environmental assessment of projects in the oil and gas sector. The event will be of interest to senior government policy experts and decision-makers, regulatory agencies, academics, industry representatives, aboriginal groups and non-governmental environmental organizations who wish to participate in an examination of how environmental assessment can contribute to sustainable development of the oil and gas sector.

Thursday, 14 April 2011
Location: The University Club, 168 Stuart Street, The George Teves Room
17:30	Registration and Cocktail Reception
18:30	Dinner
19:45	Keynote Address
Friday, 15 April 2011
Location: School of Policy Studies, Robert Sutherland Hall, 138 Union Street, Room 202
7:30	Registration and Breakfast
8:00	Opening Remarks
8:30	Panel 1
10:00	Break
10:30	Panel 2
12:00	Lunch
13:00	Panel 3
14:30	Break
15:00	Panel 4
15:30	Conference Wrap-up