Subject: Health Canada s response to the Determination of Environmental Assessment Requirement for the Proposed Milton Logistics Hub Project

Transcription

1 Environmental Health Program (EHP) Regions and Programs Bureau (RAPB), Health Canada 180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3L7 April 09, 2015 Carl Johansson Project Analyst, Ontario Region Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency 55 St. Clair Ave. East, Suite 907, Toronto ON M4T 1M2 Subject: Health Canada s response to the Determination of Environmental Assessment Requirement for the Proposed Milton Logistics Hub Project Dear Mr. Johansson: Thank you for your letter dated April 08, 2015 requesting Health Canada s comments on the Project Description provided by Canadian National Railway Company for the Milton Logistic Hub Project, dated March Health Canada participates in environmental assessments as a federal authority under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), Upon request, Health Canada makes available specialist or expert information or knowledge in its possession to review panels and responsible authorities, among others. The objective and scope of Health Canada s review is to verify that the potential health impacts of the project are properly identified and to support Responsible Authorities to prevent, reduce and mitigate the potential health impact as a result of project activities. When performing its review, Health Canada takes into account the following environmental effects set out in section 5 of Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012: Effects to the environment with respect to health of Aboriginal peoples (paragraph 5.1 (c)) An effect of a change to the environment linked to a federal power, duty or function, on health of all peoples (paragraph 5.2 (b)). Health Canada has reviewed the project description and provided input where appropriate on the potential for additional adverse environmental effects of the project which are listed in the attached Federal Authority Advice Report. 1

2 For more information about Health Canada s areas of knowledge, information and expertise and its expectations with respect to information to be contained in environmental assessments (as applicable), Health Canada has published a document entitled Useful Information for Environmental Assessments which can be found at Should you have any questions concerning Health Canada s response, please contact the undersigned. Sincerely, << personal information removed >> Kitty Ma Regional Environmental Assessment Coordinator Health Canada, Ontario Region Phone #: (416) Fax #: (416) Kitty.Ma@hc-sc.gc.ca cc: Debby Leblanc, EHP Regional Manager, Health Canada Gregory Kaminski, Senior Environmental Health Specialist, Health Canada 2

3 Federal Authority Advice Record Response due no later than: April 28, 2015 Milton Logistics Hub Project Canadian National Railway Company File.: Department/Agency: EA Contact Name: Address: Health Canada Kitty Ma Telephone: Queen St. West Toronto, ON M5V 3L7 Fax: Based on your review of the project description, are the potential environmental effects that have been identified in that document appropriately characterized, including whether these effects may be adverse? Please see Health Canada - Additional Information, below. If yes, please attach additional information that your department / agency considers relevant, including specific references to adverse environmental effects on areas of federal jurisdiction as described under section 5 of CEAA Do you expect any additional potential adverse environmental effects of the Project that are not listed in the project description that would be of importance to your department or agency? Please see Health Canada - Additional Information, below. If yes, please attach additional information that your department / agency considers relevant, including specific references to adverse environmental effects on areas of federal jurisdiction as described under section 5 of CEAA (a) Would your department or agency be required to exercise a power or perform a duty or function related to the Project to enable it to proceed? If yes, please specify the Act of Parliament and identify the potential environmental effects associated with that power, duty or function as described under subsection 5(2) of CEAA (b) Has your department or agency already exercised the above-noted power or performed a duty or function to allow the proposed Project to proceed in whole or in part? If yes, please indicate the power(s), duty(ies) or function(s). 3

4 4. Is your department or agency in possession of specialist or expert information or knowledge that would be relevant to the conduct of an environmental assessment of the Project? If yes, please specify the specialist or expert information or knowledge that would be relevant to the conduct of an environmental assessment of the Project, and that you would provide to the Agency upon request within a specified period, as per section 20 of CEAA Health Canada (HC) is participating as a Federal Authority (FA) in accordance with Section 20 of CEAA, 2012, providing expertise in its possession, with respect to human health, when requested to do so by the responsible authority. In the context of Section 20, HC currently has expertise in the following biophysical areas related to human health that may apply to the project: Air quality health effects; Contamination of country foods (e.g. fish, wild game, garden produce, berries, etc.); Drinking and recreational water quality; Radiation effects; Electric and magnetic fields; ise impacts; Health risk assessment and risk management; Federal air, water, and soil quality guidelines/standards used in human health risk assessment; and Toxicology (multimedia - air, water, soil). 5. (a) Did your department or agency determine under the former Act that an EA of the Project was likely not required? (b) Has your department or agency taken an EA course of action decision under paragraph 20(1)(a) or (b) or subsection 37(1) of the former Act in relation to the Project? Health Canada Additional Information: As per section 5 of the Act, Health Canada would seek more information to better understand the potential adverse impacts of the project on Aboriginal health: The locations of temporary/seasonal traditional use sites (e.g. used for fishing, hunting, trapping, ceremonial or other uses) in close proximity to the project area; The locations of all sources (surface and groundwater) of drinking water, as well as water used for recreational purposes, within the area of influence of the project; The potential for noise and air quality impacts to temporary or seasonal residents located near the project area (i.e. First Nations cultural camps) during construction and operations, and The potential for any cumulative human health impacts due to other planned projects. Although it was mentioned in Sections and 5.3 of the Project Description that air emissions from the project are anticipated to be well below their respective federal and provincial criteria, this is yet to be validated with modelling predictions. Therefore, it is not possible to determine whether potential adverse environmental effects have been properly characterized at this time. For more information that would be beneficial to include in environmental assessment documents when requesting Health Canada s advice as a federal authority, please refer to our guidance: Useful Information for Environmental Assessments, available on-line at: 4

5 << personal information removed >> Health Canada Print name of departmental / agency responder Signature Regional Environmental Assessment Coordinator April 09, 2015 Title of responder Date Please respond to the above questions no later than April 28, 2015 via at CEAA.LogisticsHub- PoleLogistique.ACEE@ceaa-acee.gc.ca or fax at Thank you. 5