For nearly ten years, Hemmera has acted on behalf of Western Economic Diversification Canada in leading the coordination of hundreds of federal environmental assessment reviews across western Canada. These assessments were required within a federal review of infrastructure projects funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, and the reviews were harmonized to meet the requirements of federal and provincial legislation (the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the BC Environmental Assessment Act).
Many of the reviews have required significant technical and regulatory expertise—we have coordinated and reviewed projects involving transportation corridors, municipal water supply and sewage development initiatives, cultural and recreational facilities and many more. We also led the follow-up monitoring of the projects to ensure compliance with the conditions of the federal funding, and, when necessary, provided regulatory advice.
When public and First Nations liaison was required, we managed ongoing liaison activities between federal and provincial regulators and First Nations groups. When required, we also advised on the development of environmental assessments reports, and consulted with engineering and design teams on strategies for integrating environmental considerations into project design and implementation.
This project began in 2001 and is still underway. To date, the Hemmera team has reviewed over 400 projects.
