Regulatory Stock Review Plan: 2025-2027

This Regulatory Stock Review Plan is a public list and description of planned reviews of regulations that the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is proposing over a two-year period (2025-2027). It is intended to give Canadians, including business, Indigenous Peoples, and trading partners, greater opportunity to inform the reviews of regulations and to plan for the future.

The Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and its regulations form the legal framework for federal impact assessments. The list of current regulations under the IAA can be found here: Legislation and Regulations.

For the period 2025-2027, IAAC intends to review the following existing regulations under the IAA, alongside proposed new regulatory initiatives, which are outlined in the Forward Regulatory Plan.

Cost Recovery Regulations

These regulations set out the services and amounts for which IAAC can recover costs from the proponent of a project that undergoes an assessment by review panel. The Cost Recovery Regulations originally made under CEAA 2012 and transitioned under the IAA will continue to apply until such time as new Cost Recovery Regulations are developed under the IAA. The intent is that these regulations be repealed on the coming into force of new proposed Cost Recovery Regulations. More details on this regulatory proposal can be found in the Forward Regulatory Plan.

Physical Activities Regulations

The Physical Activities Regulations, commonly known as the Project List, is a Governor in Council regulation that came into force with the IAA on August 28, 2019. These regulations describe the classes of "designated projects" that are subject to the IAA and which may require an impact assessment.

The IAA requires IAAC to review the Project List within five years after the day on which the regulations came into force (i.e. by August 2024).

The review has been completed and continues to inform the regulatory initiative to make amendments to the Project List.

This review will inform recommendations to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on potential regulatory amendments. This will be followed by a regulatory development and approval process for Governor in Council regulations. More details on this regulatory proposal can be found in the Forward Regulatory Plan

Other Regulations

Other regulations under the IAA, including the Information and Management of Time Limits Regulation and the Regulations Respecting Excluded Physical Activities (Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Exploratory Wells), will be reviewed on a longer timeframe and will be added to a future iteration of the Regulatory Stock Review Plan.