Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to address the committee.
My name is Shannon Arnold. I am the associate director of marine programs at the Ecology Action Centre. We're based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
For over 50 years, the Ecology Action Centre has taken leadership on critical environmental issues, from biodiversity protection to climate change to environmental justice.
I have worked in the fisheries, aquaculture and seafood worlds in Canada and globally for 15 years. Our marine programs support sustainable fisheries and ways of living off the ocean with the aim of keeping coastal communities thriving and the ocean we all depend on healthy for generations to come. We sit on regional, national and international fishery advisory committees and on marine planning and protection tables. Together with colleagues in our energy program, we are currently involved in the regional assessment for offshore wind development in Nova Scotia.
We would like to express our overall support for the much-needed amendments that Bill C-49 brings to the accord acts. We are facing a climate crisis that calls for a swift transition towards renewable energy.
In Atlantic Canada, or Mi'kma'ki, rapid shifts in our waters due to climate change are already affecting our coastal communities. More intense storms are damaging infrastructure and posing greater risk to those at sea. Fish and lobster are relocating to new areas, altering traditional fishing grounds. Changes in whale migration routes are leading to increased interaction with fisheries and shipping, and these impacts are being felt economically, socially and culturally.
While new and cleaner energy sources like offshore renewables will impact some fisheries, these impacts will pale in comparison to the far-reaching consequences of unchecked climate change on our marine ecosystems. Offshore renewable energy will likely play a critical role in our energy transition, and Bill C-49 ensures that the regulatory regime needed to support this transition is in place. As we adapt, though, equity, community benefits and the rebuilding of biodiversity must be centred.
To that end, we are pleased to see provisions in this bill that will allow regulators to prohibit offshore energy, both oil and gas and renewables, in marine conservation areas, as well as the ability for the federal and provincial ministers to jointly cancel existing oil and gas interests in conservation areas. This power is critical in enabling Canada to meet its international commitments to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030 and to ensure that this marine protection is strong and of high quality. We're also pleased to see provisions introduced that support increased public hearing options for the offshore boards.
However, if offshore renewable energy is to deliver on the promise of a sustainable energy future for the region, the government must ensure that this bill and the assessment processes on projects to come are an improvement on ways we have evaluated industrial development in the past. We would like to see the bill ensure that calls for bids are issued only in areas with a completed strategic and regional assessment. These highest-level assessments must consider socio-economic and ecosystem impacts, cumulative effects and long-term sustainability objectives. This planning and assessment stage is essential for fostering participatory decision-making and establishing clarity on shared use and priorities for all rights holders and stakeholders. Individual project-specific impact assessments should follow. The bill should require that these strategic and project-level assessments be conducted.
Clear provisions for full and meaningful participation in planning and assessment processes must be included alongside dedicated funding to support this requirement. Strong planning with inclusive participation will be crucial for minimizing conflicts and achieving coexistence and shared use.
We support the submissions of our colleagues at East Coast Environmental Law with regard to further details on any proposed amendments.
The nascent offshore renewable energy sector offers an opportunity to depart from the exploitative and destructive legacy of previous industrial uses of our ocean. We cannot repeat patterns of energy development profiting large corporations at the expense of ecosystems and local community well-being.
As an environmental advocacy organization, we do not take lightly the potential social, cultural and ecosystem impacts of offshore renewable energy, and we share some of the concerns expressed at this committee by others.
However, the climate and biodiversity crises compel us to act urgently yet with care. We reaffirm our general support for Bill C-49 and emphasize the crucial need for both the bill and the broader government climate strategies it is a part of to address concerns and impacts from the outset. This includes guaranteeing stringent ecological protection, safeguarding coastal livelihoods and habitats, providing extensive opportunities for participation and collaborative planning, involving fisheries expertise from the outset and prioritizing the greening of our regional energy grid first for local community energy benefits.
Thank you for this opportunity, and I welcome questions.