Please refer to the Environment Act, Environmental Assessment Regulations and the Environmental Assessment Board Regulations for complete definitions

Administrator

A person appointed by the Minister for the purposes of the Act, and includes an acting Administrator.

Adverse Effect

An effect that impairs or damages the environment, including an adverse effect respecting the health of humans or the reasonable enjoyment of life or property.

Environment

The components of the earth that include:

• air, land and water;
• the layers of the atmosphere;
• organic and inorganic matter and living organisms;
• the interacting systems that include components referred to in (i) to (iii);
• and the socio-economic, environmental health, cultural and other items referred to in the definition of environmental effect

Environmental Assessment Report

A report that presents the results of an environmental assessment.

Environmental Effect

In respect of an undertaking:

• any change, whether positive or negative, that the undertaking may cause in the environment, including any effect on socio-economic conditions, on environmental health, physical and cultural heritage or on any structure, site or thing including those of historical, archaeological, paleontological or architectural significance, and
• any change to the undertaking that may be caused by the environment, whether the change occurs inside or outside the Province.

Extension

An increase in size, volume or other dimension of an undertaking such that the increase may cause adverse effects or significant environmental effects if not properly mitigated.

Focus Report

A report that presents the results of an environmental assessment of a limited range of adverse effects that may be caused by the undertaking.

Hearing

A public hearing or review before the hearing panel.

Minister

The Minister of Department of Environment and Climate Change.

Mitigation

With respect to an undertaking, the elimination, reduction or control of the adverse effects or the significant environmental effects of the undertaking, and may include restitution for any damage to the environment caused by such effects through replacement, restoration, compensation or any other means.

Modification

A change to an undertaking that may cause adverse effects or significant environmental effects if not properly mitigated and includes, but is not limited to, the expansion of the same process, addition of product lines and replacement of equipment with different technology other than that presently in use.

Proponent

A person who:

• carries out or proposes to carry out an undertaking;
• is the owner or person having care, management or control of an undertaking.

Registration Document

A document that identifies the Proponent and outlines the general characteristics of the undertaking (ie. location, nature, purpose, schedules, etc.).

Significant

With respect to an environmental effect, an adverse impact in the context of its magnitude, geographic extent, duration, frequency, degree of reversibility, possibility of occurrence or any combination of the foregoing.

Undertaking

An enterprise, activity, project, structure, work or proposal and may include, in the opinion of the Minister, a policy, plan or program that has an adverse effect or an environmental effect and may include, in the opinion of the Minister, a modification, extension, abandonment, demolition or rehabilitation, as the case may be, of an undertaking.

Wetland

Land that is commonly referred to as marshes, swamps, fens, bogs, and shallow water areas that are saturated with water long enough to promote wetland or aquatic processes which are indicated by poorly drained soil, vegetation and various kinds of biological activity which are adapted to a wet environment.