Federal Government Reverses Plan to Exempt Major Projects from Species at Risk Protections
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Ottawa drops proposal to grant cabinet ministers power to bypass the 'jeopardy test' following widespread public backlash.
The federal government has abandoned a proposal that would have allowed certain major projects to bypass laws intended to protect endangered species, according to reporting from CityNews Toronto.
Ottawa had intended to introduce legislation this fall aimed at accelerating the approval process for large-scale projects. As first reported by The Toronto Star, a component of that initial plan involved granting cabinet ministers "limited" power to exempt specific projects from the Species at Risk Act's "jeopardy test."
According to a senior government source cited by The Canadian Press, the decision to drop these exemptions followed a public consultation process. The source confirmed that the government received more than 26,000 submissions, the vast majority of which expressed concerns regarding the protection of species at risk.
Despite the reversal, CityNews Toronto reports that environmental organizations maintain the federal government still possesses other means to circumvent the Species at Risk Act.