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CALGARY — Federal, provincial and territorial environment ministers met in Calgary on Tuesday with a shared focus on streamlining environmental permitting while advancing major resource projects, attracting investment and maintaining environmental standards.
The annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment centred on reducing regulatory duplication, improving coordination between governments and creating more predictable approval processes for major projects.
Before the meeting, ministers heard from Major Projects Office chief executive Dawn Farrell on the federal government’s efforts to accelerate nation-building projects while maintaining environmental protections and upholding Indigenous rights.
Ministers discussed ways to reduce overlapping regulatory requirements and unnecessary delays while maintaining high environmental standards and continuing efforts to address climate change.
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter, who hosted the meeting, said environmental stewardship and economic growth can move forward together.
“Holding this meeting in Calgary, at the heart of Canada’s energy sector, sends a clear message that economic growth and environmental stewardship are not competing goals,” Hunter said.
“With clear rules, efficient permitting and high standards federal, provincial and territorial governments can deliver both.”
Energy policy also featured prominently in discussions, including industrial reclamation, remediation and water management.
Ministers reviewed approaches to restoring industrial sites, protecting waterways and applying new technologies to longstanding environmental challenges, including work underway in Alberta’s oilsands.
Hunter pointed to Alberta’s efforts on tailings reclamation as an example of environmental remediation requiring cooperation between governments, industry and Indigenous communities.
“It was an honour to discuss Alberta’s work advancing tailings reclamation with my colleagues as an example of remediating challenging industrial sites,” he said.
“This work will not be solved by governments operating in silos; we need to partner with industry, Indigenous communities and other jurisdictions to protect water, restore land, and deliver positive environmental outcomes.”
Ministers also met separately with Indigenous business representatives, who emphasized the importance of meaningful partnerships in advancing major projects and expanding Indigenous participation in economic development.
Representatives from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation outlined how the organization supports Indigenous equity participation in major projects.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Alberta transferred the rotating presidency of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment to Nunavut, which will host next year’s meeting.
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