Notice of the Establishment of Time Limits for the Integrated Impact Assessment of the Bruce C Nuclear Project

 

Ottawa — September 3, 2025 — On December 20, 2024, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) decided that an impact assessment pursuant to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is required for the proposed Bruce C Nuclear Project (the project), and referred the project to an integrated review panel in collaboration with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

Time limit

As required under subsection 37.1(1) of the IAA, IAAC has established an overall time limit of 300 days for the impact assessment phase of the project. The time limit consists of two parts:

Part 1 – Impact Assessment Phase led by the Review Panel: the time limit for the review panel to submit its impact assessment report to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada is 210 days. This time limit starts after the day on which IAAC posts on the public registry its notice pursuant to subsection 19(4) of the IAA that the impact statement contains the required information or studies; and,

Part 2 – Impact Assessment Phase led by the Government of Canada: the time limit for IAAC to post its recommendations to assist the Minister in establishing conditions with respect to the decision statement for the project is 90 days. This time limit starts after the day on which the review panel submits its impact assessment report to the Minister.

The Minister may extend the time limit for the review panel to submit its impact assessment report, up to a maximum of 90 days, if it is necessary to take into account circumstances that are specific to the designated project or to facilitate cooperation with a jurisdiction.

Following this, as outlined in paragraph 65(4)(b) of the IAA, the time limit for the issuance of the decision statement is 90 days.  

Reasons

In establishing the time limit of 300 days, IAAC considered the following factors:

• Transparent, efficient, and timely decision-making process: establishing this time limit will give Bruce Power (the proponent), members of the public, and Indigenous Nations and communities certainty on the time limits and allow for a decision on the project to be made in a timely manner.
• Opportunities for consultation with Indigenous nations and engagement with the public: given the interest of potentially impacted Indigenous Nations and communities and the public in the project, a 300-day time limit will allow for the independent review panel and IAAC to support public participation and consult and engage with Indigenous Nations and communities.

 

For further information on this impact assessment, please contact:

Bruce C Nuclear Project
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
160 Elgin Street, 22^nd floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3
Telephone: 613-222-3507
Email: Bruce@iaac-aeic.gc.ca