Title
Summary of Key Issues with the Draft Agreement to Conduct a Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire Area and Recommendations
Author(s)
WCS Canada
Published
2022
Abstract
In 2021, the Government of Canada agreed to undertake a Regional Assessment (RA) of the Ring of Fire, an area of world‐class mineral potential located within the globally important Hudson Bay Lowland, under the federal Impact Assessment Act (IAA) at the request of WCS Canada and others. The Impact Assessment
Agency of Canada (IAAC), in negotiation with the province of Ontario, developed a draft
Agreement setting out the scope and form of the RA.
As our comments below make clear, the draft Agreement fails to capitalize on the opportunity
to undertake proactive planning for an area that is recognized internationally as a priority
region for action on the global climate and biodiversity crises, and is the homeland of First
Nations who are the only population living in the region. WCS Canada scientists have been
actively working to understand the critical ecosystems and the species and services they
support as well as approaches to conserving them, including with First Nation communities, for
the past 15 years. We have applied our scientific knowledge of the area to inform our
assessment and recommendations on the draft Agreement for the RA.
Keywords
Ring of Fire; peatlands; carbon; GHG emissions; Impact Assessment; First Nations; cumulative effects;
Full Citation
Summary of Key Issues with the Draft Agreement to Conduct a Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire Area and Recommendations
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