The provincial government is responding to criticism over its new environmental code.
Assistant Deputy Minister Mark Wittrup denies the new regulations trump the government’s duty to consult process for bands whose traditional lands are under development.
The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says it’s concerned the new regulations will allow companies to move ahead on projects without any scrutiny by government, or without meaningful consultation.
Wittrup says the government has a broad responsibility to carry out the duty to consult process and it’s something it takes very seriously:
“First of all we’ve embedded duty to consult in the governing regulation, the Environmental Management Protection Act, and then we’ve had our Aboriginal affairs group reviewing, along with justice, each section of where duty to consult may occur. There’s actual stop-points built into the code.”
However, Wittrup does acknowledge the code allows some lower-classed activities to proceed without the same sort of formal approvement process that happened in the past.
He says one example of this is pressure-testing on pipes.
However, he insists major moves like mine developments will still need the same approvals as before.
A series of stakeholders consultations regarding the new rules are set to begin at the end of the month.