{"id":66775,"date":"2025-06-03T11:14:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energi.media\/?p=66775"},"modified":"2025-06-03T11:53:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T18:53:45","slug":"why-the-federal-government-must-act-cautiously-on-fast-tracking-project-approvals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energi.media\/opinion\/why-the-federal-government-must-act-cautiously-on-fast-tracking-project-approvals\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Why the federal government must act cautiously on fast-tracking project approvals"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was published by The Conversation<\/a> on June 3, 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n

By Mark Winfield<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The acceleration of federal approvals for \u201cnation-building projects\u201d was the\u00a0major theme<\/a>\u00a0of this week\u2019s first ministers meeting in Saskatoon. A rush to streamline approvals for resource development and infrastructure projects has been central to the Canadian response to United States President Donald Trump\u2019s\u00a0profound disruptions<\/a>\u00a0to longstanding trade and security relationships.<\/p>\n

At the provincial level, Ontario\u2019s\u00a0Bill 5<\/a>\u00a0and British Columbia\u2019s\u00a0Bill 15<\/a>\u00a0also propose to move aggressively to fast-track mining and infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n

These fast-tracking efforts are fuelling debate, particularly in terms of the implications for\u00a0Indigenous rights<\/a>\u00a0and the implicit\u00a0trade-offs<\/a>\u00a0pertaining to the environment and climate change.<\/p>\n

\n

Read more:\u00a0Mark Carney wants to make Canada an energy superpower \u2014 but what will be sacrificed for that goal?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Regulations often a minor factor<\/h2>\n

Project review and approval processes in Canada have already been aggressively streamlined over the past decade. The 2019\u00a0Federal Impact Assessment Act<\/a>, also known as Bill C-69, was largely modelled on Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper\u2019s 2012 Bill C-38 rewrite of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to determine why projects are delayed in the first place. Most move through assessment processes with little delay or controversy. Problems emerge when proposals are poorly designed, face serious technical or economic doubts, raise major environmental, climate or safety concerns, and spark significant social, political or legal conflicts over their costs, benefits and impacts.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0recent study<\/a>\u00a0on mining approvals in B.C., for example, found that far more mines were approved than ever actually developed. The main cause of delays was changing economic conditions. Regulation was found to be only a minor factor.<\/p>\n

While there are always potential ways to improve review processes, the results of previous streamlining efforts suggest the need for caution about the potential for these initiatives to backfire.<\/p>\n

Impact assessment and\u00a0similar processes<\/a>\u00a0emerged as more than a way to accurately assess projects and their risks and benefits. They also provided a framework for managing intense social and political conflicts those projects may generate.<\/p>\n

If these processes are streamlined too much, the conclusions of these assessments may seem illegitimate. There could be a trade-off between clear, certain outcomes and ensuring the approval process is fair and trustworthy.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Rainbows
While there are always potential ways to improve review processes, the results of previous streamlining efforts for energy and natural resources projects suggest the need for caution.\u00a0THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Exacerbating conflict<\/h2>\n

The Harper government\u2019s Bill C-38 reforms were intended to facilitate the construction of more oil pipelines. In the end, they only escalated the spiralling political and legal conflicts around projects like the\u00a0Northern Gateway<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Energy East<\/a>\u00a0pipelines.<\/p>\n

The accompanying Alberta-to-B.C. Trans Mountain Expansion pipeline was only approved after a tortuous process. That culminated in the federal purchase and completion of the pipeline at a cost to taxpayers of\u00a0$34 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Read more:\u00a0Why the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion is a bad deal for Canadians \u2014 and the world<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A similar process unfolded under Ontario\u2019s 2009\u00a0Green Energy Act<\/a>. The legislation\u2019s\u00a0aggressive bypassing of local approvals reinforced<\/a>\u00a0a backlash against renewable energy projects in rural communities. The end result was a nearly decade-long de facto moratorium on renewable energy development. The situation\u00a0has only recently eased<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The political consequences of these efforts at streamlining are noteworthy. The Bill C-38 episode was seen as playing a role in the Harper government\u2019s\u00a0defeat in 2015<\/a>. Ontario Premier\u00a0Dalton McGuinty\u2019s loss<\/a>\u00a0of his majority government in 2011 was also partly attributed to the rural response to the Green Energy Act.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"A
Prime Minister Mark Carney, second from right, with other government officials, speaks at a meeting with representatives of Canada\u2019s energy sector in Calgary on June 1, 2025.\u00a0THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Jeff McIntosh<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Checks and balances<\/h2>\n

Aside from the political aspects, it\u2019s important to recognize the value of thorough reviews for projects that are likely to be high-risk, high-cost and high-impact.<\/p>\n

When past reviews have been rushed or\u00a0cut short<\/a>, they\u2019ve undermine confidence in the decisions made \u2014 especially when even faster processes could increase the risks and costs passed on to taxpayers.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Muskrat Falls<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Site C<\/a>\u00a0hydro projects in Labrador and B.C., respectively, stand as testament to those risks. Both projects ran years behind schedule and billions over budget and continue to face major technical, environmental and economic challenges. Review processes\u00a0can be important checks<\/a>\u00a0on poorly conceived, politically motivated projects.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Two
Environmentalists protest the Site C dam at the B.C. legislature in Victoria in November 2017.\u00a0THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Chad Hipolito<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s also important to think carefully about the long-term economic rationales being presented for projects. Canada is a relatively\u00a0high-cost<\/a>\u00a0fossil fuel<\/a>\u00a0producer, making it unlikely to be among the last standing in a\u00a0decarbonizing world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That should raise serious questions about major investments in new fossil fuel export infrastructure. The irony of developing such projects as major wildfires,\u00a0widely attributed<\/a>\u00a0to the impacts of climate change, burn in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba cannot be overlooked.<\/p>\n

Global markets for commodities like critical minerals are also uncertain and in\u00a0deep flux<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0high costs<\/a>\u00a0of nuclear projects, as\u00a0demonstrated by recent experiences in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Europe<\/a>, also make them unlikely candidates to form the foundation for clean energy superpower status.<\/p>\n

\n

Read more:\u00a0‘Elbows up’ in Canada means sustainable resource development<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Special economic zones\u2019<\/h2>\n

Ontario\u2019s\u00a0Bill 5<\/a>\u00a0represents the most aggressive streamlining proposal seen so far. The legislation\u00a0would exempt<\/a>\u00a0designated \u201cspecial economic zones\u201d and even trusted proponents \u2014 such as mining companies assigned to lead projects \u2014 from all applicable provincial and municipal laws and regulations.<\/p>\n

The province\u2019s approach has raised fundamental questions about the rule of law, democratic governance and\u00a0Indigenous rights<\/a>, and jurisdictional boundaries.<\/p>\n

Some commentators have pointed out<\/a>\u00a0that these\u00a0zones are common in authoritarian regimes<\/a>\u00a0like China\u2019s, or in jurisdictions in\u00a0deep economic distress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Others have accused Ontario of\u00a0racing to the bottom<\/a>\u00a0in terms of health, safety and environmental standards, respect for the rule of law, Indigenous rights and basic democratic values.<\/p>\n

All of this suggests a need for caution in further streamlining review and approval processes for major projects. These are undertakings with risks and costs that could stretch far into the future and must be properly understood before they proceed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article was published by The Conversation on June 3, 2025. By Mark Winfield The acceleration of federal approvals for \u201cnation-building projects\u201d was the\u00a0major theme\u00a0of this week\u2019s first ministers meeting in Saskatoon. A rush to [Read more]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":66776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[13,2929,95,425,76,518],"class_list":{"0":"post-66775","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-opinion","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-carney","10":"tag-fossil-fuels","11":"tag-indigenous-people","12":"tag-pipelines","13":"tag-resources"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\ngovernment - Thoughtful Journalism About Energy's Future<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The acceleration of federal approvals for \u201cnation-building projects\u201d was the\u00a0major theme\u00a0of this week\u2019s first ministers meeting in Saskatoon.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/energi.media\/opinion\/why-the-federal-government-must-act-cautiously-on-fast-tracking-project-approvals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"government - 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