International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B2. Istanbul 2004
2. REVIEW OF EXISTING PRACTICE
Public participation is vital to municipal class environmental
assessment (MCEA) and is currently realized through an
iterative process of public meetings and reviews, of which the
public and the interested agencies are notified via public
notices. The process provides opportunities for public input,
gathered through public meetings, telephone inquiries, letters,
email and faxes. This section examines class EA background
and current practices of notifying the public, holding public
meetings, and collecting public input during an EA study.
2.1 Environmental Assessment
“Environmental assessment provides an effective means of
integrating environmental factors into planning and decision-
making processes in a manner that promotes sustainable
development”, as stated in the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act [CEAA, 2003]. In Canada, EA activities are
regulated by either provincial or federal environmental
assessment act, based on the scale of the assessed project.
In the province of Ontario, the environmental assessment is
regulated by Ontario Environmental Assessment Act, which
forms the basis of the Municipal Class Environmental
Assessment process, adopted by many municipalities in the
province [OGRA, 200]. The MCEA process provides a
decision-making framework that ensures the requirements of
Ontario Environmental Assessment Act to be met. The MCEA
applies to public sector agencies that are undertaking common
water, wastewater and road infrastructure projects.
The MCEA process includes: identification of the problem,
alternative solutions and designs; an analysis and evaluation of
the alternatives and their impacts; public participation; and
study documentation. Figure ! shows a modified version of the
process diagram that illustrates the key phases and their
features of the process for various project types (schedules).
The class EA process recognizes three schedules: A, B, and C,
where schedule “C” project requires the most comprehensive
study by going through all phases.
Work related to environmental impact identification. and
assessment mainly falls in phase 2 and 3, and lightly in phase 4
and 5 where ESR is prepared and environmental provisions and
commitments are monitored. This work includes:
e preparng an inventory of the natural, social, and
economic environments;
e identifying the impact of cach solution or design on the
environments;
eo evaluating the alternatives and selecting a preferred
solution or design; and
e identifying the impact of the alternative designs after
mitigation
Environmental Assessment Acts at all levels emphasize the
importance of public participation in EA processes. As stated in
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, “the Government of
Canada is committed to facilitating public participation in the
environmental assessment of projects to be carried out by or
with the approval or assistance of the Government of Canada
and providing access to the information on which those
environmental assessments are based.” This is also true to
municipal and provincial level EA. The involved municipality
wants to ensure that anyone with an interest in the study has
opportunities to get involved and provide input before any
decisions are made on a preferred alternative.
PHASE !
Identify and Describe the Problem(s)
Problem(s)
Ÿ
PHASE 2
Alternative Solutions
PIC No. 1
Preliminary Preferred Solution (public meeting)
Y
PHASE 3
Alternative Design Concepts for the
Preliminary Preferred Solution
PIC No. 2
Preliminary Preferred Design (public meeting)
v
PHASE 4
Prepare Environmental Assessment
Report
Public Review
Environmental Study Report (ESR)
PHASE 5
Implementation
P. N.: public notice
Figure | Municipal environmental assessment process (after
[OGRA, 2000])
2.2 Public Notices and Meetings
Public notices of an EA study are usually published in the local
papers, the local government official websites, and mailed out
to property owners, residents and government agencies. À
typical notice of EA study consists of the following sections:
e abrief introduction (i.e., project/study background):
e an image map showing the location of project/study area
and its geographic context;
e the date/time and location of public meetings or public
information centres, if any; and
e the contact information for comments and obtaining
further information
Depending on the stage of MCEA study, a public notice can be
for the commencement of the MCEA study, one or more public
information centres, or the completion of the MCEA study.
While the mailed-out notice or notice in the newspapers mostly
provide limited information as listed above, the web-based
notices do hyperlink to study materials such as previous
notices, minutes and handouts from previous meetings, and
syntheses of public input up-to-date. However, the use of maps
in all cases is limited to image maps as insertions in HTML or
PDF files. Figure 2 illustrates an image map from the notice of
an EA study on road rehabilitation in the Region of Peel.
Public meetings usually involve formal/informal presentations
of the proposed project and the results of its MCEA study. The
basic meeting procedure is a mix of presentations made by the
municipality staff and consultants and interaction. between
meeting participants to discuss concerns and collect input
Mostly, public meetings adopt an open house format, using à
number of panel displays. These panel displays may include
background, EA study process, preliminary design. drawings.
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