WHEREAS the proposal to build a co-generation power plant to burn creosote treated railway ties within the geographical centre of the populated area of the City of Kamloops and subject to the pattern of prevailing winds to the east of Kamloops has raised health concerns amongst the residents of Kamloops and adjacent rural communities; AND WHEREAS the technology proposed for this incinerating facility is new and does not have a history of monitoring for any long term implications on the health of residents and animals within the surrounding airshed: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the federal government to require a federal environmental assessment be completed prior to the commencement of operation of all co-generation power plants fuelled by agents containing potentially toxic compounds who receive grants from agencies that are solely funded by the federal government.
Ministry of Health With regard to your concerns about the proposed construction of a co-generation power plant, Health Canadas primary role in environmental assessment is to provide expert advice. Upon request from the federal department undertaking an environmental assessment, my department reviews the assessment and provides advice on potential human health implications of the project. This advice may include information on the longer-term implications of the predicted health impacts, as well as actions which may be taken to mitigate or prevent these impacts. Since the issue of coordination of the federal environmental assessment process falls within the purview of my colleague, the Honourable Peter Kent, Minster of the Environment, you have taken the correct course of action in forwarding a copy of your resolutions to his department. Ministry of Environment With respect to the issue of environmental assessments for cogeneration power plants, federal requirements for the environmental assessment of projects are established in the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and apply to federal authorities. The need for an environmental assessment under the Act is not based on whether a proposed project uses potentially toxic compounds, but on whether a federal authority has a decision-making responsibility in relation to the project. More specifically, federal authorities may be required to undertake an environmental assessment before carrying out a project; providing financial assistance to enable a project to be carried out; selling, leasing or otherwise disposing of federal land to enable a project to be undertaken; or issuing certain authorizations to enable a project to go forward. In the case of a proposed cogeneration facility that may receive funding, the requirement for a federal environmental assessment would depend on whether the funding agency is a federal authority, as decided in the Act. The definition of federal authority is contained in subsection 21 of the Act. It is the responsibility of each organization to determine whether it is a federal authority under the Act, although the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency can provide advice in this regard. Only organizations that are covered by the definition of federal authority may be required to conduct environmental assessments under the Act.