Permitting Coordination for Clean Growth Projects

Welcome to the Government of Canada’s intake portal for permitting coordination — a portal for projects which are not undergoing an impact assessment but meet other criteria and could benefit from federal permitting coordination.

The Government of Canada is committed to improving the efficiency and predictability of regulatory processes and to expediting decisions on permits and other authorizations so that clean growth projects can get built faster while maintaining strong environmental protection and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

It will do this by enhancing the coordination among the various federal regulatory and permitting agencies for proponents with projects that are ready to go. It can also help avoid duplication and reduce the burden on proponents and the communities affected by projects.

Is federal permitting coordination right for you?

The Government of Canada is offering federal permitting coordination support for projects where multiple federal permits, licences or other authorizations (referred throughout as “permits”) are required prior to starting construction.

You do not need to apply if your project has already been or may be designated under Impact Assessment Act or for projects that are undergoing or will be undergoing an impact assessment process under the following Northern legislation:

• Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act
• Nunavut Planning and Project Assessment Act
• Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act

Instead, please contact permit.coordination.permis@iaac-aeic.gc.ca to better understand the permitting coordination supports already available to you.

For projects not subject to the above Acts, we can help coordinate the permitting process for projects that will soon be ready for permitting and meet at least two of the following criteria:

• Are of significant economic scale to Canada or the region in which they will operate
• Contribute significantly to the Government of Canada’s environment and climate change objectives
• Use first-of-its-kind technology in Canada or involve highly complex permitting
• Advance economic reconciliation
• Fall within a provincial or federal priority area

We invite project proponents whose projects meet these criteria to submit an expression of interest.

What does permitting coordination provide?

• Clarity on permitting requirements, timelines and processes through the development of detailed federal permitting plans
• Transparency through public reporting on the progress of permitting on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry
• A point of contact within the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and centralized support from the Clean Growth Office

How long will it take to permit my project?

The Cabinet Directive on Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency sets out a service standard target for issuing decisions on all federal permits and authorizations of two years.

Through federal permitting coordination, we will work with you to develop a detailed permitting plan to set milestones and outline efforts needed to achieve this target. Early engagement with the federal government, communities and Indigenous rights-holders is essential to support a speedy review of federal permits.

What is required to participate?

To participate in this initiative, proponents must agree to the following conditions:

• Be Ready to Start: Proponents must be ready to submit application(s) as part of the permitting process within 180 days of the detailed permitting plan being approved by all parties.
• Be Able to Provide a Comprehensive Application: Proponents must make best efforts to submit applications for federal authorizations and permits that meet the requirements set out by the responsible departments and agencies.
• Be Willing to Actively Participate: Proponents must actively participate in the permitting process including providing required information, and promptly responding to requests for additional information or clarification from federal departments and agencies or from Indigenous groups.
• Be Willing to Meaningfully Engage with Indigenous Groups: Proponents must follow best practices for the consultation and engagement of Indigenous groups and have documented and addressed concerns, where possible.
• Consent to Public Disclosure: Proponent consents to having its project, and the status of its federal authorization and permitting processes, shown on a public dashboard; however, the permit application documentation will not be made publicly available.

I’d like to proceed. What’s next?

To determine if your project is a candidate for federal permitting coordination, you will need to tell us about it.

The first step is to create a proponent profile through the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s proponent portal where you provide a brief description of your project and tell us how it meets the above criteria.

What you can expect from us

After you submit your profile, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada will contact you within 10 business days with further information.