The James Bay Advisory Committee on the Environment (JBACE)

The following is a summary of the activities undertaken in 2019-2020. A detailed description of the activities can be found in the report available here.

Provincial

The JBACE participated in the activities of the sectoral co-creation tables established for the development of the regulatory framework for implementation activities of the revised Environmental Quality Act and submitted its comments on the draft regulation that resulted from this exercise. The JBACE acted as a coordinator of a consultation event for the drafting of the Electrification and Climate Change Plan (renamed Plan d’économie verte or ‘Green Economy Plan’ following the 2020-2021 budget presentation) which took place in the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation, and will continue to work with the MELCC for the preparation of post-consultation documents. The committee prepared its comments and recommendations stemming from its review of the Tactical Plans for Integrated Forest Development and will present them to the MFFP in early April. In addition, the committee provided comments on an anticipated review of the Mining Act and on the review of the role of the Gouvernement du Québec in the development of critical and strategic minerals and other files, namely the wildlife sanctuaries  and natural heritage conservation.

Federal

The JBACE was consulted in the matter of the new federal Impact Assessment Act which came into force in the summer of 2019. In addition to commenting on the draft regulations for the implementation of the Act, the committee participated in information sessions and training sessions. The Fisheries Act also came into force during the summer and the JBACE commented on a number of draft regulations for its implementation. Finally, the committee commented on other initiatives related to indigenous knowledge and kept abreast of climate change initiatives.

Other initiatives and Secretariat operations

In 2019-2020, the JBACE continued its work in the area of cumulative effects. The committee participated in the discussions leading to the creation of the Indigenous Center for Cumulative Effects and attended the Indigenous Forum on Cumulative Effects which was held in February 2020. The committee continued its gap analysis to better hone its understanding of the issues and needs regarding the consideration of cumulative effects, in addition to carrying out internal strategic analysis to develop a work plan fot its steps.

The committee pursued its efforts in relation to two information-sharing initiatives. The committee developed, and is still currently honing, a strategy to disseminate information stemming from its climate change report that was published in 2018. The JBACE published its best-practice guide on public participation for project proponents, which was also the topic of a training workshop that the JBACE provided as part of the Québec Mines+Énergie 2019 conference.

On the administrative front, the JBACE secretariat began an update of its computing resources. This began with the installation of a new document storage system and will be completed by updating its email system.