• Alberta Court of Appeal says Impact Assessment Act is still unconstitutional

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-10-09 22:16:10.0
  Tags: [Alberta, National, Environment, Energy, Resources, Governance]

  In a 4-1 decision, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the federal government's Impact Assessment Act (originally passed as Bill C-69) remains unconstitutional because it still grants federal authorities the power to halt projects entirely within provincial jurisdiction based on minimal federal impacts. The legal challenge was brought by Alberta with backing from Ontario and Saskatchewan, following previous rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on the federal government to accept the ruling and avoid another appeal, while federal officials stated they are reviewing the decision. Meanwhile, the federal government is attempting to transfer energy project reviews to the Canada Energy Regulator through Bill C-39 while maintaining compliance with the Impact Assessment Act.

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• Speed over species? What experts are saying about Ottawa's new major projects bill

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-28 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Environment, Infrastructure, Energy, Resources, Governance]

  The federal government has tabled Bill C-39, titled the Building Canada Strong Act, containing over 300 clauses designed to expedite major project decisions to one year in response to U.S. economic pressures. The legislation amends more than a dozen federal statutes, including the Species at Risk Act, the Fisheries Act, the Impact Assessment Act, and the Labour Code, while permanently removing sunset clauses from the temporary powers established under Bill C-5. Critics, including the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, World Wildlife Fund Canada, and Ecojustice Canada, warn that the bill weakens environmental safeguards by allowing preliminary construction before impact assessments are completed and granting broad ministerial exemptions for sensitive water bodies and wildlife habitats.

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• Government exempts interprovincial pipelines from review by impact assessment agency

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-09 21:44:12.0
  Tags: [National, Energy, Environment, Infrastructure, Resources, Governance]

  The federal government published new regulations in the Canada Gazette exempting interprovincial and international pipelines, transmission lines, offshore renewable energy projects, specific oilsands extraction projects, and fossil fuel-fired power generating projects from environmental reviews by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. These projects will instead undergo environmental assessments solely through the Canada Energy Regulator to streamline regulatory approval processes. The changes follow the passage of Bill C-5 after the 2025 federal election and are designed to reduce up-front legal due diligence and regulatory costs for major energy investments.

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• More Nova Scotians add their names to petition calling for return of uranium ban

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-08 16:34:55.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Mining, Energy, Environment, Resources, Governance]

  More than 10,000 Nova Scotians have signed a public petition calling on Premier Tim Houston's government to reinstate a provincial ban on uranium mining. The petition includes over 8,000 existing signatures alongside more than 2,000 new signatures being tabled by the opposition Liberals and NDP at the Nova Scotia legislature. The ban, which previously required mining operations to cease if uranium was discovered at greater than 100 parts per million, was repealed by the Progressive Conservative government in March 2025. Petition organizers, community groups, and medical professionals such as Dr. Catherine Cervin of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment argue that lifting the ban risks releasing radioactive material into air and water, while Premier Houston maintains that resource development is necessary to improve the provincial economy.

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