Environmental Assessment Act Review

On this page:

• Current areas of focus
• Upcoming areas of focus
• Ongoing engagement
• Act review preparation
• Contact Us

The Environmental Assessment Act came into force in December 2019. It required the Minister of Environment and Parks to initiate a review within five years to make sure it is working well and as intended. 

Through engagement with First Nations and participants in environmental assessments, and experience under the new process, the EAO identified several areas to review. These include regulatory predictability, process effectiveness and timelines, and First Nations’ participation and decision-making.

The EAO is taking a sequenced approach to the review, addressing near-term priorities first, and then tackling other priority issues, in consultation and cooperation with First Nations and with input from other partners and participants in environmental assessments.

Current areas of focus - near-term priorities for action by Spring 2026

Expedited environmental assessments

The EAO released a discussion paper and began engaging in March 2026 on a proposed expedited environmental assessment process. The Infrastructure Projects Act requires an expedited process for projects designated as provincially significant or in the public interest. Input on the expedited process will also inform the review of the Environmental Assessment Act more broadly.

Engagement with First Nations, local governments, industry, the public and other participants in environmental assessments is expected to take place throughout spring 2026. Opportunities for input include a survey for members of the public, dedicated engagement sessions and one-on-one meetings, and written submissions.

Submit your feedback on the proposed expedited process

Members of the public are invited to submit feedback on the expedited process here: engage.eao.gov.bc.ca/xEA

First Nations and other groups and organizations that would like to provide a written submission can send it to: eao.ActReview@gov.bc.ca

Please note, submissions on behalf of a group’s membership, e.g. form letters, petitions, etc. must follow the guidelines in the EAO Public Comment Policy (PDF, 2025).

Dispute Resolution

The EAO has been engaging with First Nations and industry since fall 2025 on potential revisions to the dispute resolution framework under the act to address issues identified. Legislative and regulatory changes will be advanced for spring 2026.

See the EAO’s dispute resolution web page for additional background, and a summary of dispute resolution processes carried out to date.

As the EAO developed revisions to the dispute resolution provisions of the Environmental Assessment Act, we engaged:

• 42 First Nations, 4 Indigenous governing bodies and 2 First Nations organizations (series of online sessions and bilateral meetings)
• Representatives of 2 proponents of projects that went through dispute resolution during their assessment (online session)
• Representatives of approximately 30 associations and firms in the business and industry sector (online session)

Upcoming areas of focus – to address in the medium term (2026-2027)

• Framework for First Nation participation in environmental assessments
• Approaches to First Nations free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)
• Types of projects that should be assessed (reviewable projects)
• Ways to make the assessment process more efficient, effective and timely

Other areas of focus may also be identified through ongoing consultation & cooperation with First Nations and other engagement for the act review.

See the September 2025 backgrounder Review of the 2018 Environmental Assessment Act (PDF, 4 mb) for more information on the act review.

Ongoing engagement

The Environmental Assessment Office began the review in 2024, to evaluate whether the act is:

• Creating an effective, timely, predictable assessment process for proposed major projects
• Meeting the purposes of promoting sustainability and supporting reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in B.C.
• Consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as required by B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’s Act
• Consistent with current direction from the provincial government

Taking a sequenced approach, the EAO will continue to consult and cooperate with First Nations and engage with industry, government partners, other stakeholders and the public on the various areas of focus.

Legal, regulatory and operational changes under the Act review will aim to:

• Address pressing implementation challenges
• Increase process efficiency and predictability and reduce timelines while upholding First Nations rights and environmental protections
• Improve the confidence of all participants in environmental assessments
• Support clarity in decision-making processes with First Nations

Other areas of focus may also emerge from ongoing consultation and cooperation with First Nations and engagement with other interested parties as the act review continues through 2026 and 2027.

Act review preparation

As the first step in the review in 2024, the EAO talked to First Nations, and key partners and stakeholders, including groups that participate in environmental assessments. The EAO wanted to understand what is working well with the act and what challenges have emerged. The EAO engaged with:

• 35 B.C. First Nations and Indigenous governing bodies
• 12 industry associations and other industry partners
• 11 provincial ministries and agencies
• Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC)
• Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM)

Throughout the implementation of the act, government partners, First Nations, industry and the public have consistently emphasized the need for a predictable, efficient and effective regulatory system. This applies not only to project approvals, but also post-approval project changes, monitoring, compliance and enforcement.

What we learned during preliminary engagement

In the early engagement in 2024, First Nations, partner agencies and industry stakeholders identified a variety of areas where they felt the act and the assessment process could be improved.

Areas Identified

First Nations involvement in decision-making free, prior and informed consent dispute resolution capacity and funding  timelines use of Indigenous knowledge  Indigenous-led assessments	Industry what projects are reviewable timelines duplication and inefficiencies post-assessment processes technical advisory committee roles Indigenous participation	Government process timelines duplication in regulatory reviews coordination and planning integration with other regulators project notifications and designations enforcement tools substantial start criteria

Learn more about what we heard Environmental Assessment Act Review: What We Learned and Summary of Engagement (PDF, 3.6mb)

Contact us

If you have questions or comments about the Act Review process, please get in touch at: EAO.ActReview@gov.bc.ca.