Alberta is giving Ottawa four weeks to address the province’s concerns about federal overreach in the amended Impact Assessment Act on environmental evaluation or face another legal challenge.
Premier Danielle Smith said she is ready to take the federal government to court if it does not “remedy,” within four weeks, what the province calls unconstitutional provisions in the amended act, according to an Oct. 4 news release.
The Supreme Court of Canada last year declared the act “largely unconstitutional,” and the province said it “repeatedly” asked Ottawa to share details of its amendments, “to no effect.”
The Impact Assessment Act (IAA), previously known as Bill C-69, violated provincial jurisdiction, the Supreme Court ruled on Oct. 13, 2023. Ottawa said it would amend the act, and on June 20, the federal government amended the legislation. The act imposes federal environmental evaluation requirements for major projects, while the province says its own environmental regulatory framework is sufficient….