Species at Risk Roundtable

Issue:

The federal government was poised to overhaul the Species At Risk Act in a reactionary manner. It was widely perceived that the result would have been a weaker act that would have also created significant roadblocks for industry, which needed social license and participation of environmental, indigenous and community constituencies.

How we addressed the issue:

Over a period of eight months, we convened a monthly roundtable with six national industry associations and three environmental organizations to develop a series of joint recommendations to reform the implementation of SARA in a manner that would simultaneously strengthen the Act and ease the compliance burden.

Impact:

The federal government held off on the legislative and regulatory changes, avoiding a major public fight with the environmental sector. The recommendations helped guide internal deliberations about how to implement the Act, benefiting industries seeking greater certainty when proceeding with development applications.