Vice-President's response 

Barry Singleton, P. Eng.
Director, Western Energy Corridor Inc.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Barry.Singleton@WesternEnergyCorridor.ca

Barry Singleton:

Thank you for your request for a regional assessment of the Western Energy Corridor as identified in your submission to the Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada on May 20, 2025. 

As part of the Government of Canada's focus on strengthening economic resilience and getting major projects built across the country, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is committed to streamlining the project assessment process and considers regional assessment to be an important potential tool to inform this process.

Pursuant to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (Minister) is responsible for responding to requests for regional assessments, taking into account the recommendations from the IAAC. In accordance with delegation of authorities pursuant to subsection 154(1) of the IAA, the IAAC Vice President of Operations may respond on behalf of the Minister.

IAAC has determined that, although this third request for a regional assessment of the Western Energy Corridor provides additional context, this new submission does not contain additional information that would materially result in a different conclusion in theevaluation of the merits of a regional assessment request as outlined in the Operational Guide: Requesting a Regional or Strategic Assessment under the Impact Assessment Act. Further to the reasons expressed by the former Minister of Environment and Climate Change, to Western Energy Corridor Inc. on November 15, 2022 (145510), a key objective of regional assessments under the IAA is to inform and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of anticipated future project-specific impact assessments. IAAC does not currently foresee future designated projects within the identified corridor that would be subject to federal impact assessment requirements, and that could be informed by a regional assessment. 

Further, existing regulatory frameworks and initiatives exist that are well placed to consider and address the potential (and often project- and location-specific) effects of large-scale linear developments such as that which might eventually be proposed within such a corridor. As a result, we have determined that a regional assessment is not warranted at this time.

While a regional assessment will not proceed at this time for the reasons outlined above, there continues to be merit in identifying corridors as a means of facilitating energy projects and other economic development activities in Canada, as noted by Western Premiers who have committed to the development of enhanced economic corridors in the West. This will involve ongoing discussions between federal, provincial, and/or territorial governments, Indigenous groups, industry, and other stakeholders to identify possibilities, priorities, and benefits. I would therefore encourage your organization to continue to participate in such discussions and collaborations.

Documentation related to the regional assessment requests for the Western Energy Corridor will be posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry at https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/83942.

Thank you for your interest in the regional assessment process.

Sincerely,

<Original signed by>

Eric Landry (he/him, il)
Vice President, Operations

c.c.:

Kimberly Lavoie, Assistant Deputy Minister, Nòkwewashk, Natural Resources Canada, kimberly.lavoie@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Stephen Traynor, Vice President, Policy, Planning and Northern Projects Management Office, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, stephen.traynor@cannor.gc.ca