EVALUATION OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT INFRIENDS OF THE WEST COUNTRY ASSOCIATIONv.CANADAAND LAND USE PLANNING ALTERNATIVES

In 1994, Sunpine Forest Products Ltd. sought permits from Alberta government to construct a permanent log hauling road and approvals from the federal government for construction of required bridges associated with the road. A concerned citizens group challenged the Federal Government's subsequent bridge approvals in court, claiming that cumulative effects assessment was not adequately conducted underCanadian Environmental Assessment Act. The originalSunpinecourt decision agreed with the citizen group that the federal government erred in law by not including related projects and adequately considering associated cumulative effects, sending the approval back to the federal government for reconsideration. Government regulators, industrial foresters, and environmental groups across Canada awaited the appeal to theSunpinefederal court decision. TheSunpine Appealreversed the original position with much relief from industry and government. TheSunpinecase raises important issues about how federal and provincial authorities address environmental impacts, uncertainty in scoping assessments, factors to be considered, and cumulative effect assessments. This paper evaluates the cumulative effects assessment processes followed in theSunpinecase study under theCanadian Environmental Assessment Actwithin an analysis framework of comprehensiveness, fairness, efficiency, and effectiveness. Land use planning models, like the British Columbia land resource management plans andMackenzie Valley Resource Management Act, offer alternative approaches to legislated cumulative effects processes. Sustainability may be better realised with a combination of strategic environmental assessment tools, utilising environmental assessment at the project-level within the context of a regional resource planning process.