Bill C-69, the Impact Assessment Act, received Royal Assent

The new Impact Assessment Act is now law, receiving Royal Assent on on June 21, 2019 and, with some exceptions, will be brought into force at a later date. Among other things, the Bill proposes creating an Impact Assessment Agency and replacing the National Energy Board with the Canadian Energy Regulator. The final version of Bill C-69 incorporated 99 amendments - "the highest number of amendments on any piece of legislation since at least 1946”.

Now that the Act is official, the government is moving forward with Regulations related to the Act.  

On May 31, 2019, consultations on related proposed Regulations Designating Physical Activities, (aka the Project List), and the new Information Requirements and Time Management Regulations were also formally concluded. These regulatory proposals address what kinds of industrial activities should be subject to federal impact assessments under Bill C-69. The proposed Project List increases several of the quantitative thresholds found in the current Project List under CEAA 2012. Most changes relate to mining and pipeline construction, and are unlikely to impact CWWA members. 

In addition, on June 7, 2019, the Government concluded consultations on two proposed regulations which will be pursuant to the Canadian Energy Regulator Act - Part 2 of the current Bill C-69. The proposed Regulations are Time Management Regulations and Power Line Damage Prevention Regulations.

Canadian Water and Wastewater Association