Canadian Impact Assessment Registry: Frequently asked questions

How do I find projects on the Registry?

The Registry home page offers a number of options to help you find information about assessments subject to a federal review. You can:

From the Search results page you can use a number of filters to narrow your search, such as by province or territory, nature of project and status. See the Search Tips page for more help with your search of the Registry.

How do I find an assessment on the Registry map?

The Registry map offers a number of options to help you locate assessments on a mapping interface. You can:

What tools are available on the Registry map?

The Registry map includes a variety of map tools to help locate, visualize and analyze geographic assessment data. See the Registry Interactive Map - Quick Reference Guide for more details.

How can I access more information about an assessment from the Registry map?

To find more information about an assessment click on any point of interest on the map to open a popup window to view basic information about the assessment. To view more details click on the link to the Assessment Page.

What data is included in the Registry map?

The interactive Registry map includes assessment data organized by status of the federal assessment process: in progress, suspended, completed or terminated. The data is shown as different layers that can be enabled or disabled.

The assessment data layers represent the approximate geographic locations of assessments, and are based on information submitted by proponents, if applicable. More than one location may be identified for a given assessment. This dataset does not include information related to the footprint.

What records are publicly available through the Registry for assessments led by the Agency or a Review Panel?

For assessments led by the Agency or by a Review Panel the following key information about the assessment and its status can be found:

Additional information or records may also be obtained upon request. To request a copy of records, see the contact information provide on the relevant assessment page.

What information is publicly available through the Registry for projects on federal lands and outside Canada?

Projects carried out on federal lands and outside Canada are not subject to the same requirements as other assessments under the Impact Assessment Act. In order to meet the requirements of the Impact Assessment Act, the authority is responsible for posting the following documents:

Additional information or records may be obtained by contacting the department or organization that is identified on the relevant assessment page

How can I search for records on the Registry?

Key documents are accessible directly from the assessment page. Additional documents and comments can be found by selecting “List all records”.

A search can be limited to either documents or comments, or both, by applying the appropriate filter. Use the keyword search to further filter results, among other search criteria available.

A number of search filters for document categories enable users to find what they are looking for:

See the Search Tips page for more help with your search of the Registry.

Can I obtain a record in an alternate format?

Records posted on the Registry are routinely posted in web accessible format (such as HTML) or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). If a record is not available in HTML format, links to download the required software are provided. For more information or to obtain alternate formats, contact the Agency at information@iaac-aeic.gc.ca.

Are records available in both official languages?

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring all information and services on the Registry are available in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources (such as public comments) are not subject to the Official Languages Act and are made available in the language in which it was provided.

Where can I find information about historical environmental assessments?

Key information about assessments that were completed or terminated under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 1992 (CEAA 1992) is accessible via the Canadian Environmental Assessment Archives. The Archives also contain information about assessments for which a follow-up program may be underway.

CEAA 1992 did not require the maintenance of an online registry prior to October 30, 2003. If you wish to obtain any information regarding these assessments, contact the department or organization that may have had a responsibility to conduct the assessment for the proposed project.

Can I obtain a copy of a record once the assessment is completed?

Requests to access records related to completed assessments should be directed to the department or organization that is identified in the Registry.

Please note that contact information related to archived assessments is not maintained. However, members of the public are encouraged to contact the department or organization that was responsible for conducting the assessment.

How do I submit a comment?

Comments can be submitted via the Registry’s online commenting tool or other methods, such as email. In order to submit an online comment, users will need to authenticate their identity using a secure sign-in method.

Users have the choice of authenticating their identity with a government verified sign-in partner (e.g. online banking partner organizations) or by creating and using a GCKey. Please refer to the Sign-in FAQs for additional information.

To submit a comment, users should log in to the Registry and navigate to the assessment page of interest. The commenting tool can be accessed by clicking “Submit a comment” or “View comments” on the assessment page.

Not all projects on the Registry will have the commenting tool enabled. If the commenting tool is not enabled, participants should refer to the contact information listed on the assessment page.

Why do I need to use a secure sign-in?

In order to protect the integrity of the information available through the online Registry, users who wish to comment online must authenticate their identity. A user’s name, email address and organization (if applicable) are also collected. The individual or organization’s name will accompany any submission made and will be posted online.

If a participant does not wish to authenticate their identity using one of the secure sign-in methods available, they can submit comments and information via other means. Participants should refer to the contact information listed on the relevant assessment page.

What is done with my online comment?

In order to support more timely access to information and to encourage meaningful participation, information submitted via the Registry’s online commenting tool is made public in real-time; whereas information submitted via other means is posted online following review and processing by relevant authorities. The responsible federal authority for the assessment in which you participated will consider all comments received.

Whom do I contact for assistance?

Should you need assistance or have questions about federal impact assessments, please contact us. For specific questions about Registry tools, please contact the Registry team. If you need technical assistance or would like to report an error related to the map or geographic data layers, please contact the Agency’s Geomatics Services team.

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