Question Period Note: Énergie Saguenay Project, Quebec

Énergie Saguenay Project, Quebec

Protecting our aquatic ecosystems while considering economic interests of communities who rely on these industries for their livelihoods is a priority for our government.

My department will continue to actively participate in the federal environmental assessment for the Énergie Saguenay project.

While impacts of terminal construction on fish and fish habitat could be mitigated, DFO is of the opinion that noise associated with project shipping could have negative impacts on the survival and recovery of the beluga, an endangered species protected under the Species at Risk Act.

Species at Risk
The marine traffic associated with the new terminal would transit through the critical habitat of the beluga (St. Lawrence Estuary population), an endangered species listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.

Critical habitat for at-risk species is protected under the Species at Risk Act. Measures to lessen or avoid impacts to St. Lawrence Estuary beluga will need to be identified and implemented as part of the environmental assessment process to ensure that the recovery and survival of the species is not jeopardized.

Protecting species at risk is a shared responsibility, and the federal government is committed to working with provinces and territories and all Canadians in implementing the Species at Risk Act.

• On September 22, 2021, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) published the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) Report and the potential conditions on the Agency public Registry. The EA decision is planned to be published by December 9, 2021.
• On June 11, 2021, DFO submitted its final expert advice to the Agency in the context of the EA.
• DFO's advice concludes that impacts on fish and fish habitat associated with the construction phase of the terminal would be limited, and could be addressed by mitigation measures and offsetting.
• However, with respect to impacts resulting from marine shipping, DFO is of the opinion that the noise associated with ships could have significant negative impacts on marine mammals, particularly the beluga, which is listed as Endangered on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.
• Mitigation measures currently proposed by the proponent have not demonstrated effectiveness in avoiding or reducing these risks on beluga and/or other marine mammals in the project area.
• The marine traffic associated with the new terminal (300-400 transits annually) will go through the Critical Habitat of the beluga, which is located in the Upper Estuary and in the southern portion of the Lower Estuary.
• On July 21, 2021, following the publication of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) report on March 23, 2021, the Quebec Minister responsible for the Ministère de l’environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques announced the project would not be granted provincial approval. A decree to this effect was published on August 11, 2021.
• On May 12, 2021, the three First Nation councils of Essipit, Mashteuiatsh and Pessamit submitted a joint brief to the BAPE outlining their concerns with regard to environmental, social and economic acceptability and the impacts on future generations. The groups are also insisting analysis of the project be done in close coordination with that of the Gazoduq pipeline project.
• A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Report (2018/025) on the potential effects of construction of the Énergie Saguenay project and Saint-Rose-du-Nord marine terminal indicates that additional traffic on the Saguenay Fjord will affect a portion of the beluga critical habitat already subject to noise (Sainte-Marguerite Bay) and regularly frequented by females and juveniles, a particularly vulnerable segment of the population.
• The Critical Habitat Order protecting the critical habitat of the beluga, St. Lawrence Estuary population was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, in December 2017.
• In November 2016, DFO received a request for review for the project, in regards to a potential authorization under the Fisheries Act, a process currently paused until the EA has been completed.
• In January 2016, a federal EA under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, led by the Agency, was initiated.
• The proponent is proposing the construction and operation of a liquefied natural gas facility and export terminal located in the District of La Baie, Saguenay City, Quebec.

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