OLDMAN DAM: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
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Transcript of OLDMAN DAM: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
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OLDMAN DAM: ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT AND THE CONSTITUTION
SEPTEMBER 17, 2012
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Overview
• Federal and Provincial Legislative Powers relating to the Environment
• Oldman Dam Project
• Are Federal EA Laws constitutional? – Environmental Assessment and Review Process
Guidelines Order – Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012
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Federal and Provincial Legislative Powers (Environment)
• “Federal patchwork superimposed on provincial carpet”
• Provincial Powers (s.92, 92A)– Property and civil rights– Matters of a merely local or private nature– Lands, mines, minerals; non-renewable
natural resources; forestry; electrical energy
– Local works and undertakings
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Federal and Provincial Legislative Powers (Environment)
• Federal Legislative Powers (s.91)– Sea coast and inland fisheries – Navigation and Shipping– Federal works and undertakings– Criminal law– Spending – Indians and lands reserved for Indians– Peace order and good government – Trade and Commerce – Taxation
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Delimiting Federal and Provincial Powers
• Interpretative Tools and Legal Principles– Exclusive vs. Concurrent Jurisdiction– Administrative vs. Legislative
Interdelegation – Interjurisdictional Immunity– Role of Territory and Ownership– Treaty Implementation
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Fisheries Powers
• R. v. Fowler – Wood debris deposited into a stream contrary to
Fisheries Act – No evidence actual harm to fish, habitat– Not within federal legislative authority
• R. v. Northwest Falling Contractors– Diesel oil - deleterious substance deposited
into waters frequented by fish– Evidence of harm to fish– Within federal authority
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Criminal Law Power
• R. v. Hydro-Quebec • PCBs released into Quebec stream by
Hydro-Quebec facility contrary to Canadian Environmental Protection Act
• Tests for valid exercise of criminal law power (RJR MacDonald):– Legitimate public purpose– Prohibition of an activity– Penalty
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Criminal Law Power
• R. v. Hydro-Quebec • Issue: does CEPA use appropriate tools to
pursue the legitimate public purpose?• Is CEPA about environmental protection or
control of toxic substances?• Laforest (majority)
– lengthy process identify toxic substances– regulatory measures to reduce, control justifiable
so long as combined with prohibitions
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Peace Order and Good Government Powers
• Anti-Inflation Reference, Crown Zellerbach, R. v. Hydro-Quebec
• Emergency Branch of POGG
• National Concern Branch of POGG– Singleness, Distinctiveness, Indivisibility
• Atomic Energy, Marine Pollution justified under POGG
• Toxic Substances probably not justified
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Oldman Dam Project
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Oldman Dam Project
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Oldman Dam Project
• Alberta government initiated in 1980s• Irrigation benefits to 200 farmers plus up
to 25 MW electricity • Peigan First Nations (Milton Born with a
Tooth) and Friends of the Oldman River (FORS, Martha Kostuch) opposed project
• Peigan Reserve 12 km downstream from Oldman Dam site
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Oldman Dam Environmental Effects
• Loss of riparian habitat (cottonwood forests
• Loss of cold-water trout habitat
• Mercury contamination
• Increased dust and related air pollution
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Oldman Dam Project
• Alberta prepared environmental assessment, found no significant effects
• Federal Environment Minister refused to conduct EA under EARGO although Navigable Waters Protection Act permit and Fisheries Act authorization required
• FORS launches Rafferty-style application for judicial review
• Application denied at trial, appealed successfully
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Oldman Dam Legal Issues
• Is the Guidelines Order authorized by s. 6 of the Department of the Environment Act? (Guidelines can be mandatory).
• Is the Guidelines Order inconsistent with the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Fisheries Act? (No, just provides for additional requirements)
• Is the Guidelines Order applicable to the Oldman Dam Project?
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Applicability to Oldman Dam
• Transport Canada decision-making authority for NWPA; DFO not decision-making authority for Fisheries Act
• No affirmative regulatory duty on DFO
• Proponents can construct dam without DFO authorization (not unlawful to build dam without authorization but if you do you may be in legal jeopardy if fish habitat is harmed)
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Oldman DamConstitutional Validity
• Is the Guidelines Order so broad as to offend ss. 92 and 92A of the Constitution Act, 1867 and therefore constitutionally inapplicable to the Oldman River Dam owned by Alberta?
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Oldman Dam Analysis of Constitutional Issues
• Authority to conduct a federal assessment of a proposal?
• EA is merely a component of federal decision-making; constitutional authority to carry out EA derives from federal authority over subject matter
• Distinguish subject matter that brings feds in as decision-maker from scope of project, scope of issues to be considered
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Constitutional Limits on Scope of Issues to be Considered
• No for projects (e.g., rail lines) where feds have “comprehensive jurisdiction”
• If comprehensive federal jurisdiction, integrated decision can be made that takes into account how project affects “provincial” as well as federal environmental issues
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Constitutional Limits on Issues to be Considered in Decision?
• What about projects (e.g.,Oldman) where federal jurisdiction is not central to project (“restricted jurisdiction”), but results from impact (e.g., navigation)
• Supreme Court - Feds can conduct an integrated assessment (federal, provincial issues) if affirmative regulatory duty and legitimate concern about “federal” impacts (e.g., fish)
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Unresolved Constitutional Issues
• Threshold for federal jurisdiction to require EA for a project where federal jurisdiction is not central?
• Scope of project subject to federal EA? (scope of project in Oldman is clear; what about bridge and road (having fisheries effects) leading to mill (with no federal effects)
• Scope of assessment where regulatory trigger tangential?
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CEAA 2012: Constitutional Issues
• CEAA 2012 takes narrow approach with respect to range of issues to be considered constitutionally valid
• Requires assessment only of “federal effects” of projects having “restricted jurisdiction” federally (s.5.(1))
• Requires assessment of provincial and federal effects where federal authority has duty or function to perform under other federal law
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CEAA 2012: Constitutional Issues
• CEAA 2012 requires assessment process for projects listed in Designated Projects Regulations (s. 8, 10). Is it constitutionally valid to require a federal EA for a project with no other federal decision required?
• CEAA 2012 includes prohibitions and penalties (unlike CEAA). Does criminal law power support CEAA 2012 following Hydro-Quebec case?
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Take Home • Federal authority to assess projects linked to
substantive federal powers• Courts have sanctioned federal government
to assess environmental issues broadly in support of decisions
• Criminal law power increasing in importance, POGG and trade and commerce decreasing
• CEAA 2012 has other constitutional issues (designated project)