Minister Guilbeault kicks off in-person engagement on clean power in Nfld. and N.S.
by CM Staff
This assessment will help inform future planning and decision-making around offshore wind development in these provinces.
ST. JOHN’S — This week, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, is visiting Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia to kick off in-person discussions on the planning and design of the regional assessment of offshore wind development, first announced earlier this spring. This assessment will help inform future planning and decision-making around offshore wind development in these provinces. The Minister will meet with Indigenous, environmental, fishing, academic, and industry organizations in St. John’s, NL, on August 16, and then in Dartmouth, NS, on August 18, as part of his four-day trip to Atlantic Canada.
The valuable input gathered by the Minister during these discussions will support the ongoing preparation of the draft agreement(s) and associated terms of reference for the regional assessment. Developed by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and its provincial partners, the draft agreement will set out the goal, objectives, geographic boundaries, and planned outcomes of the regional assessment, as well as key aspects of its governance and administration.
The regional assessment will allow for early analysis of, and discussions around, future wind development in NL and NS areas and its potential environmental, health, social, and economic effects and benefits. This will help inform future planning and decision-making, including the eventual impact assessments of wind projects once proposed.
“Wind power is clean, it creates jobs, and it will be key to delivering affordable, reliable power to homes across the Atlantic. Working in close collaboration with our provincial partners, we are moving quickly to usher in a new era of wind development in Atlantic Canada. This regional assessment will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of future federal impact assessments for offshore wind energy projects in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.” said Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
