Strategic and Regional Assessments: Their Potential Influence on the Scope and Conduct of Subsequent Project Assessments

Strategic and regional assessments (SAs/RAs) can influence subsequent project impact assessments (IAs) in various ways. This can include contributing information, analysis, mitigation and context to later assessments, as well as proactively addressing complex and pervasive issues through larger effects management and planning approaches. In Canada, IA legislation and processes that include SA/RA provisions often refer to their consideration and use in later project assessments, but are seldom prescriptive around how and to what degree this should occur. Through on-line surveys of Canadian IA regulators and practitioners, this study gathered perspectives on whether and if so how SAs/RAs should seek to inform and improve project assessments, including which of their outputs are likely to be most useful and influential in IA scoping and conduct. Its findings show clear interest in seeing SAs/RAs help improve project IA effectiveness and efficiency. However, given differences in scale/resolution and other practical and procedural matters, they are seen primarily as a starting point and for providing overall context, rather than streamlining IA requirements through the direct transfer of information, analysis and mitigation. The main influence of SAs/RAs on project IAs may therefore be more indirect and nuanced, particularly by helping address larger issues and requirements prior to and outside of project-specific IA reviews.