Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project — Amendment of Joint Review Panel Agreement

August 24, 2017 — Ottawa, ON — The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Jim Ellis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Energy Regulator, announced today an amendment to the Joint Review Panel Agreement for the proposed Frontier Oil Sands Mine project in northern Alberta.

In March 2017, the World Heritage Committee released a report on the state of conservation of Wood Buffalo National Park World Heritage Site. The Government of Canada welcomed the report, which included a recommendation that an environmental and social impact assessment of the Frontier Oil Sands Mine project be conducted, that fully takes into account the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, including the Peace-Athabasca Delta.

In order to fulfill Canada's commitment to implement this recommendation, an amendment to the Joint Review Panel Agreement was required.  The Joint Panel will now consider and report on the potential environmental effects of the project on the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site, including the Peace-Athabasca Delta. The Joint Panel will also consider measures to mitigate and monitor any identified effects on the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site.

The Joint Review Panel must address the additional requirement in a separate chapter of its report.

Canada is committed to addressing and responding to the World Heritage Committee in the requested timelines as part of our ongoing commitment to protecting Canada's heritage places now, and for future generations.