Ontario Association for Impact Assessment 2020 Conference / Webinar Series

This year’s Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA) conference is being replaced with a series of webinars on Modernizing Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Legislation – The Past, Present and Future. The webinar series is in response to Ontario’s recent proposals to modernize its Environmental Assessment Act (EAA). The series will examine Ontario’s assessment laws and policies through time, lessons learned, and recommendations for the future. Expert panelists will focus on EAA, specifically, history and trends, what is enacted, what is missing and needed, and what is next.

Webinars will occur from noon to 2 pm on November 5, 12, and 19, 2020. Each webinar will focus on one of the topics below. Information on panelists for each webinar will be made available in the coming weeks.

History of EA in Ontario and The Path Forward

Thursday, November 5, 2020 at 12:00 pm EST | Facilitators: C. Birchall and B. Williston

This webinar will address:

  • History & purpose of environmental assessment (EA)
  • Recommendations for the path forward
  • OAIA’s EA recommendations in 2015 and 2016
  • Meeting objectives of effectiveness, accountability, timeliness & rigour
  • Meaningful Indigenous engagement including Indigenous-led EAs
  • Recommended projects & undertakings for EA

What is Missing and Needed Based on Bill 197 Amendments?

Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 12:00 pm EST | Facilitators: C. Chetkiewicz and T. Wlodarczyk
  • Role of Indigenous communities in EA
  • Regional EAs
  • Cumulative effects and climate change in EA
  • Previous OAIA recommendations

What is Next?

Thursday, November 19, 2020 at 12:00 pm EST | Facilitators: S. Nairn and A. Grieve
  • Project List and standardized work plan
  • Timeline amendments in EAA
  • Streamlined Class EAs and sectoral EAs

RSVP: Interested participants are asked to complete the online form to RSVP. Please indicate which webinar you wish to RSVP for by providing the date or dates as applicable. Information on how to participate will be emailed to registered participants along with a calendar invitation one week prior to each webinar. You may choose to block off your calendar in advance to protect the timeslot.

 

Benefits of Membership: Members of OAIA enjoy a variety of benefits, including access to the exclusive members-only areas of the OAIA website; and access to IAIA member services. The 2020 webinar series is free of charge and open to OAIA members and non-members alike. However, we would encourage you to become a member, enjoy membership benefits and help us defray the cost of organizing and hosting these webinars.

 

If you have any suggestions for next year’s conference theme, please contact us at info@oaia.on.ca.

We look forward to welcoming your participation in this year’s OAIA webinar series.