Quebec looks to slash environmental approval times
CBC
Quebec Environment Minister Bernard Drainville is set to announce a plan today to slash the timeline for environmental approvals by half, according to Radio-Canada sources.
The changes would see the average approval time drop from 18 months to nine months.
The Coalition Avenir Québec government hopes the move will fast-track major energy, mining, industrial and transportation projects.
The goal is to improve administrative efficiency by cutting red tape and streamlining the process — potentially eliminating some steps entirely if the government deems them unnecessary.
Drainville is scheduled to hold a news conference detailing the plan later this morning.
The move comes after the federal government took a similar step, with Prime Minister Mark Carney passing legislation earlier this year designed to fast-track “nation-building” projects.
Premier François Legault has previously said overhauling the Environment Ministry's rules and timelines would be a priority for Drainville, who took over the cabinet post in a cabinet shuffle last September.
Alice-Anne Simard, executive director of Nature Québec, said this morning she is concerned the move will come at a cost.
“Once you remove regulations, you always find yourself less protecting the environment,” Simard told CBC Montreal's Daybreak.
“It would be great to have a project approved twice as fast ... but what we see is that we are weakening our different legislation and regulations to protect the environment.”
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