Participant Funding Program – Aboriginal Funding Envelope
Funding Review Committee's Report

Allocation of Federal Funds for the Environmental Assessment of the BURNCO Aggregate Mine Project

The Participant Funding Program (PFP) is established pursuant to subsection 58(1.1) of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (the 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. The PFP also includes an Aboriginal Funding Envelope (AFE) to strengthen the ability of Aboriginal groups to participate in federal or joint federal-provincial environmental assessment (EA) processes and in related consultation activities.

A funding review committee (FRC) independent of the EA was established for the BURNCO Aggregate Mine Project (the Project). The EA of the Project is being conducted by means of a Comprehensive Study (CS). The FRC's purpose was to assess eligible funding applications, as determined by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency), under the PFPAFE for the Project, and to provide recommendations to the President of the Agency on whether funding should be provided, and if so, in what amount.

Under the AFE for this project, a total of $28,200 was made available to support Aboriginal participation in the EA, and related consultation and community engagement activities, linked to:

  • review and comment on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Guidelines;
  • review and comment on the EIS; and
  • review and comment on the Comprehensive Study Report (CSR).

The deadline to submit an application was February 3, 2012. One eligible application, from the Squamish First Nation, was received requesting a total of $28,200.

On February 14, 2012, the FRC met to review the application. The FRC members were Bruce Young, retired Director of Panel Management with the Agency, acting as Committee Chairperson; Jeff Gilmour, Environmental Assessment Consultant; and Patrick Duxbury, Environmental Assessment Consultant.

Background

BURNCO Rock Products Ltd. proposes to develop the BURNCO Aggregate Mine Project, formerly the McNab Valley Aggregate Project, a sand and gravel mine located on the northwest shore of Howe Sound, approximately 22 kilometres southwest of Squamish, British Columbia. The proposed Project has an expected mine life of 20-30 years with a production capacity of approximately 1-1.6 million tonnes per year.

An EA is required in relation to the project because Fisheries and Oceans Canada may take action in relation to subsection 35(2) of the Fisheries Act.

This project is also subject to the EA requirements of the Government of British Columbia.

Eligibility

Under the PFPAFE, funding may be provided to Aboriginal applicants to support their input to an EA and/or to support their engagement in consultation activities with the federal government. These activities must be linked to the EA of a proposed project through a CS, mediation or review panel.

Eligible recipients must plan to engage in Aboriginal consultation activities with the federal government that are linked to the EA of the proposed project and be able to demonstrate that they meet at least one of the following eligibility criteria:

  • Have a direct, local interest in the proposed project, such as historical or cultural ties to the area likely to be affected by the proposed project;
  • Have community knowledge or Aboriginal traditional knowledge relevant to the EA; and/or
  • Have expert information relevant to the anticipated environmental effects of the proposed project.

The applicant was deemed to have met the eligibility criteria by the Agency.

Under the PFPAFE, applicants can request funding for costs related to:

  • professional fees;
  • staff salaries and benefits;
  • local collection and distribution of information;
  • travel expenses;
  • rental of office space and meeting rooms;
  • office supplies and telephone charges;
  • administrative and reporting costs;
  • other expenses related to local collection and distribution of information;
  • legal fees;
  • purchase of relevant information material, with supporting information;
  • general media advertising and promotion; and
  • other detailed expenses, with supporting information.

Rationale for Allocation

In reviewing the application received, and in reaching its conclusions and recommendations, the FRC took into consideration a number of factors, including the following:

  • Whether the Aboriginal group could demonstrate that it plans to engage in Aboriginal consultation activities with the federal government that are linked to the EA of the proposed project;
  • The ability of the Aboriginal group to demonstrate that it has met one or more of the eligibility criteria listed above;
  • The quality, clarity and content of the application, particularly with respect to the relationship between specific project components and the applicant's traditional lands and resources, and the applicant's proposed EA participation work plan;
  • Advice received from the Agency regarding whether or not the Aboriginal group is expected to be a participant in the EA, and the role that this group may play in the EA;
  • The maximum funding available to the applicant;
  • The ability of the applicant to represent the interests of Aboriginal communities that might be impacted by the Project;
  • Presence/absence of specific project components within the traditional lands of the Aboriginal group represented by the applicant;
  • Project impacts on traditional lands and resources, and on the related interests and asserted rights and title of the Aboriginal group represented by the applicant;
  • The extent to which the proposed activities meet the requirements of the PFPAFE; and
  • The eligible activities under the PFP - AFE for the Project, which include:
    • reviewing and commenting on the EIS Guidelines;
    • reviewing and commenting on the EIS;
    • reviewing and commenting on the CSR.

Recommendation

The FRC recommends allocating $28,200 of the available PFP - AFE funding to support the Squamish First Nation.

The FRC further recommends that a condition of any funding allocation be that the Squamish First Nation provides written comments to the Agency on the EIS Guidelines, the EIS and the CSR.

The Funding Review Committee
BURNCO Aggregate Mine Project
Aboriginal Funding Envelope

_________________________________________________
Bruce Young, retired Director of Panel Management with the Agency

_________________________________________________
Jeff Gilmour, Environmental Assessment Consultant

_________________________________________________
Patrick Duxbury, Environmental Assessment Consultant

Recommended Participant Funding Allocation
BURNCO Aggregate Mine Project
Aboriginal Funding Envelope

Applicant Total Recommended Allocation Amount
Squamish First Nation $28,200
Total: $28,200

Document Reference Number: 6

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