AWA supports Ecojustice’s request to designate the Vista Mine expansion under the Impact Assessment Act
August 26, 2024
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On August 26, 2024, AWA sent the Minister of Environment and Climate Change a letter detailing our support for Ecojustice’s request, made on behalf of Keepers of the Water and the West Athabasca Watershed Bioregional Society, stating that the Vista Coal Mine Phase II Expansion Project and Vista Underground Mine Project be designated again under section 9(1) of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA).
AWA shares the concerns outlined by Ecojustice about the proposed expansion of the Vista Coal Mine, particularly the adverse impacts posed to water, critical aquatic habitat, and species protected under the federal Species at Risk Act including endangered Athabasca rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and threatened Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus). These impacts demonstrate that the project is well within federal jurisdiction, and the seriousness of these impacts require assessment under the IAA. This is consistent with the IAA’s preamble, which emphasizes the importance of an impact assessment process that “prevents or mitigates significant adverse effects within federal jurisdiction”, “integrates scientific and Indigenous knowledge”, and “contributes to fostering sustainability and to the Government of Canada’s ability to meet its environmental obligations and its commitments in respect of climate change”.
AWA’s full comments can be read here.
