Participant Funding Program - Regular Funding Envelope
Funding Review Committee's Report

Allocation of Funds for Participation in the Comprehensive Study of the Highway 905 - All Weather Roadway - Stony Rapids to Lake Athabasca near Fond-du-Lac

The Participant Funding Program (PFP) was established pursuant to the legal provision contained in subsection 58(1.1) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, which states: For the purposes of this Act, the Minister shall establish a participant funding program to facilitate the participation of the public in comprehensive studies, mediations and assessments by review panels.

A Funding Review Committee (FRC), independent of the environmental assessment (EA) process, has been established to review the funding applications submitted under the Regular Funding Envelope (RFE) and to recommend allocation of funds to applicants. A total of $20,000 has been made available through the RFE to enable applicants to participate in the EA for the Highway 905 - All Weather Roadway - Stony Rapids to Lake Athabasca near Fond-du-Lac (the Project).

On October 13, 2010, the FRC met to review one application received by the PFP-RFE, requesting a total of $31,779 to participate in the EA of the Project. The FRC members were: Bruce Young, retired Director of Panel Management with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency), as Committee Chairperson; Paul Scott, retired Regional Director of the Agency's Vancouver office; and Dob Hovdebo, Principle Consultant for ASKI Resources Management.

Background

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is proposing to construct an 88.5 km all-weather road between the community of Stony Rapids and a point on the south shore of Lake Athabasca near the community of Fond du Lac in northern Saskatchewan. The road would allow more efficient transportation of goods and provision of services to Fond du Lac. Presently, goods are shipped to the community either by a combination of winter and ice roads or by air.

The Project will be reviewed by means of a comprehensive study (CS) because the proposed public highway will be more than 50 km in length and will lead to a community that lacks all-season public highway access.

The Agency has assumed the responsibility for the conduct of the CS of the Project until the point when it submits a comprehensive study report (CSR) to the Minister of the Environment. The Project is also subject to review under The Environmental Assessment Act (Saskatchewan). As such, the Agency has initiated a cooperative EA with the Government of Saskatchewan.

Eligibility

Under the PFP-RFE, funding may be provided for members of the public, Aboriginal groups and incorporated not-for-profit organizations for activities linked to the EA of a proposed project through a CS, mediation or review panel. The funds can be used to support their engagement in consultation activities and their input to the EA.

The applicants must demonstrate that they satisfy one of the following three eligibility criteria:

• have a direct, local interest in the Projects, such as living in or owning property in the Project area;
• have community knowledge or Aboriginal traditional knowledge relevant to the EAs of the Projects; or
• have expert information relevant to the anticipated environmental effects of the Projects.

The lone applicant was found to be eligible for funding under the PFP-RFE.

Rationale for Allocation

The FRC considered the application, submitted by the Prince Albert Grand Council, to be well prepared and containing relevant information. However, there were some areas which lacked detail and/or relevance to the CS process being proposed. Based on the amount of funding available, the FRC supported funding activities that could result in the Prince Albert Grand Council providing detailed and relevant comments on the draft and/or final Environmental Impact Statement and/or CSR.

The FRC recommends that the Prince Albert Grand Council work closely with the proponent on collecting relevant information from local communities and Aboriginal groups.

Recommendation

The FRC recommends an award of $20,000 to the Prince Albert Grand Council to participate in the EA of the Project.

Funding Review Committee
Highway 905 - All Weather Roadway - Stony Rapids to Lake Athabasca near Fond-du-Lac

_________________________________
Bruce Young, Chairperson
Retired Director of Panel Management with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

_________________________________
Paul Scott
Retired Regional Director, Vancouver Office, Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

_________________________________
Don Hovdebo
Principle Consultant, SRK Consulting, Engineers and Scientists

Recommendation on Allocation of Funds to Participants
Highway 905 - All Weather Roadway - Stony Rapids to Lake Athabasca near Fond-du-Lac
Regular Funding Envelope

Applicant	Total amount recommended
Prince Albert Grand Council	$20,000