The "When?"
Timeline of the Chin Reservoir Controversy
Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault receives a request for federal review from 9 Alberta environmental groups, supported by the Blood Tribe/Kainai and Siksika First Nation. They raised concerns that the project could cause serious environmental damage and harm Indigenous cultural and ecological resources.
Chin Reservoir Expansion Project is announced [49]
Request for federal Impact Assessment by “Interested Parties” [50]
The project’s Proposed Terms of Reference (PToR) are announced by SMRID
Final Terms of Reference issued by Environment and Protected Areas [52]
SMRID Publishes the Environmental Impact Report [15]
SMRID submits its Supplemental Information Request response to NRBC and AEPA for review [54]
Anticipated completion of the project
Federal government declines to review the project under the federal Impact Assessment Act [51]
Public engagement and commentary period for the PToR ended
Skepticism towards irrigation expansion projects due severe drought conditions
Irrigation districts double down that irrigation expansion will improved irrigation efficiency [10]
While the PToR included steps to consult with local Indigenous nations and assess impacts on aquatic habitat health, it was critiqued for lacking concrete steps to resolve identified impacts [16].
With more frequent droughts predicted for Southern Alberta, some are concerned that there won’t be enough water for the expanded irrigation infrastructure. [9]
Once the Supplemental Information Request response has been reviewed, public interest review processes will commence.
