Quebec announces plan to cut environmental assessment times in half

MONTREAL – Quebec’s environment minister says the province will reduce the amount of time it takes to complete an environmental assessment by about half. 

Bernard Drainville says the time savings will come from simplifying the process for industry and government, without compromising standards.

He says the time to complete an environmental assessment will drop to nine months, down from the current 13 to 18.

The new rules are expected to accelerate major projects in the energy, industrial, mining and transportation sector. 

Drainville says his plan would also allow affected members of the public and Indigenous communities to get involved in reviews, earlier in the process.

There will be a consultation on the new rules that begins later this week, after they are published in the province’s official Gazette.