2022 Reports 6 to 10 of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of Canada
Report 10—Environmental Petitions Annual Report
Environmental petitions are a unique way for Canadian residents—acting as individuals or on behalf of an organization—to bring their concerns and questions about environmental and sustainable development issues to the attention of the federal ministers responsible and be guaranteed a response from them. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development administers the environmental petitions process on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada.
The purpose of this annual report is to inform Parliament and Canadians about the number, nature, and status of petitions and responses received from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, as required by section 23 of the Auditor General Act.
2021–22 Results
Petitions received
The OAG received 14 environmental petitions from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022. For the titles of petitions and provinces of origin, please refer below to the list of 2021–22 petitions received.
In total, 11 federal departments and agencies received petitions requesting a response. In many cases, a petition was sent to more than 1 department or agency. The 4 organizations that received the most petitions were
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (14 petitions)
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada (7 petitions)
- Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (4 petitions)
- Natural Resources Canada (4 petitions)
Key issues raised
Petitions submitted during the reporting period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 addressed a wide variety of issues, including concerns about compliance with and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. Concerns about the effects of exposure to different toxic substances, the protection of endangered species, forest carbon accounting, and the effects of construction on biodiversity were among other issues raised in the petitions.
Departmental and agency performance and responses
During the reporting period, 16 departments and agencies responded to 20 petitions. With the exception of 1 late response from the Department of Finance Canada, all responses were provided within the 120-day statutory response period.
2021–22 Petitions Received
British Columbia
- 122F—Follow-up petition on Silvermere Island and Silvermere Lake habitat concerns
- 459—Evidence, science, experience to date, and analysis supporting Project List entries and thresholdsFootnote 1
- 462—Effects of 6PPD tire rubber antioxidant on salmon and mitigation
- 469—Enforcement of environmental standards in British Columbia
Ontario
- 390C—Follow-up petition on the quantification of Canada’s total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from exported fossil fuels—Questions about responses to petition 390B
- 458—The Government of Canada’s response to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water, products, and waste
- 459—Evidence, science, experience to date, and analysis supporting Project List entries and thresholdsFootnote 1
- 460—Concerns about effective monitoring, reporting, and enforcement of environmental laws and permits governing resource extraction projects
- 461—Ministerial responsibility to protect the northern spotted owl and its habitat
- 463—Concerns about Canada’s forest carbon quantification and accountingFootnote 2
- 466—Environmental effects of the Bradford Bypass construction on fish and fish habitat
- 467—Asphalt plant air pollution concerns
Visit our Environmental Petitions web page for more information about past petitions, case studies, and the petitions process.