Aside from providing content for the Green Corner in Tarralik, the Kativik Environmental Advisory Committee (KEAC) also examines Impact Assessment procedures applicable in Nunavik.
What is an Impact Assessment? It’s a planning and decision-making process used to assess the potential positive and negative effects of development projects on ecosystems, resources, and the quality of life of Nunavimmiut. The assessment process ensures that public information and consultation mechanisms consider the values of individuals, organizations, and communities.
Given that assessment processes can be complicated, and that more than one can apply to a given project, the KEAC feels it is important to promote an understanding of the processes that apply in Nunavik. We also understand the importance of public participation in the early stages of any project to ensure community and regional concerns are heard.
In Nunavik, modern treaties provide for constitutionally protected procedures related to Impact Assessments that were developed in collaboration with Nunavik Inuit, the Cree, Naskapi, and the federal, territorial and provincial governments. In Nunavik, up to four distinct processes can apply to development projects depending on its location, type, features, and activities. Here is a description of these for processes and a map of the areas where they apply:
- The Provincial Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Review process, which was established by the 1975 James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) and applies to projects of provincial jurisdiction in mainland Nunavik. It is led by the Kativik Environmental Quality Commission (KEQC).
- The Federal Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and Review process, also established by the JBNQA. It applies to projects of federal jurisdiction in mainland Nunavik and is led by the Environmental and Social Impact Review Panel (COFEX-North) and its Screening Committee.
- The Development Impact Assessment Process which applies to projects in the Nunavik Marine Region and flows from the 2008 Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement (NILCA). The Nunavik Marine Region Planning Commission (NMRPC) and, more importantly, the Nunavik Marine Region Impact Review Board (NMRIRB) play a direct role in this process. In offshore areas where Nunavik Inuit share rights and responsibilities with the Cree of Eeyou Istchee and the Inuit of Nunavut, four land-use planning and impact assessment bodies have been created by the NILCA to play a role in impact assessments.
- The 2019 Impact Assessment Act (IAA) outlines a process for assessing the impacts of major projects in Canada. This process places a particular attention on increasing public participation and transparency in assessments led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, improving participation of Indigenous peoples, and reducing duplication of IA processes with a vision of “one project, one assessment.
SPECIAL EVENT:
The KEAC, along with Makivvik and the Naskapi Nation of Kawawchikamach, will be hosting Impact Assessment Community Workshops in 2025-2026. The goal is to increase awareness of Impact Assessment processes in Nunavik and to discuss how Nunavik communities wish to engage and be equipped to participate in development project consultations.
If you would like to know more information about the impact assessment process and how to get involved, you can visit the KEAC website at: https://keac-ccek.org/en/impact-assessment-in-nunavik/. You can also email the KEAC Secretariat at keac-ccek@krg.ca.
