Environment Committee on May 22nd, 2018

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I want to ask the officials here in the room for the final few minutes whether, out of 600-some odd pages, there are any pitfalls, problems, or complications with these last-minute amendments. First, have you looked closely enough at these last-minute amendments to be able to determine whether there are potential problems?

[Terence Hubbard]

I haven't reviewed the complete new package at this point in time.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Anybody...?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Do you want to take a few minutes just to see who can answer that question?

We'll move on to the ones that we've had in front of us for a while. You can take a look at these if you don't mind and just make sure the question gets answered.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

I want to return to the matter I asked about. I look at proposed section 253 and my reading of it is the complete opposite of the answer I was given. It says that provincial laws will apply.

[Jeff Labonté]

Proposed section 253 refers to power lines from one place in the province to another within the province.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Show me the section for international power lines.

Can they elect to go by the provincial system? The proponent can elect a provincial review. Is that right?

[Terence Hubbard]

I think if you read section 247, you will see that it's prohibited to carry out construction of an international power line without a permit issued under section 248 or a certificate issued under section 262.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

How do you read that with section 257 and 259?

They can elect, right?

[Terence Hubbard]

Once a decision is taken by GIC to designate a line, the commission must carry out that public review through a certificate process rather than a permit process. Otherwise, it would follow primarily the provincial process.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

So, again, it's the project list.

[Jeff Labonté]

Partly.

There are two parts. One would be the project list, which automatically designated it. The second is that there's the ability for the commission to designate something, even if it's not on the project list, so that it may be treated as such. It's not dissimilar to what's in the impact assessment act where the minister may designate something that's not on the project list as a designated project.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Is that totally different from what it is now?

[Jeff Labonté]

It exists now, as well, in terms of replication of some of the features.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

And they chose not to designate it.

[Jeff Labonté]

I'm not sure about the instance you're speaking to, but there's an instance before the board now, the Manitoba-Minnesota transmission project, where there was a choice to designate. The GIC did designate it, and it's being reviewed.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

It is five minutes to nine. I'd like to give the specialist experts a chance to answer that last question. We're going to take a five-minute suspension, get the answer to that, and then we're going to move right into the voting.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We're resuming the meeting.

Mr. Arnold, the answer to your question is, from all of the experts, that there is no conflict. They're all fine. All right?

We're good to go.

[Linda Duncan, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

What are we doing?

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

We're doing amendment CPC-17. Shall the amendment carry?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Come on, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

Are you going to call for a recorded vote?

[Ed Fast, Conservative, Abbotsford, BC]

Yes, everything's going to be recorded.

[The Chair, Liberal, Deb Schulte]

That's fine. We're on amendment CPC-17. We're good to go.