New Brunswick

Strategic Environmental Assessment

on Tidal Power Development

in the Bay of Fundy

********

Public & Marine Stakeholder Consultation
 
Due to the significant energy potential of Bay of Fundy tides, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are each in the process of conducting Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) of possible development of power from this natural resource.  An SEA is a preliminary step in the approach toward development in which possible negative socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts and necessary information gaps are identified, and recommendations are made to minimize these in any subsequent development, including whether it occurs at all, and if so, where and under what conditions.  Such a process in no way avoids the need for a subsequent official Environment Impact Assessment for each and every particular tidal development project.

Toward this goal, the Nova Scotia Department of Energy has contracted the Offshore Energy Environmental Research Association (OEER) to carry out an SEA process related to tidal energy development, the results of which can be found on their website at www.offshoreenergyresearch.ca.  On our side of the Bay, the New Brunswick Department of Energy has contracted the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP) to carry out a tidal energy SEA.  These two concurrent processes, led by OEER and BoFEP, will be collaborating to share information and ideas.

The initial step in this SEA process for the Bay of Fundy involved setting up an SEA Technical Advisory Group which commissioned a Background Report that pulled together existing information about ocean renewable energy technologies and potential development scenarios, and information about the bio-physical and socio-economic environment in and around the Bay of Fundy. The report identifies potential interactions between likely development scenarios, the marine and coastal ecosystem, and resource uses and users, in particular the fisheries.  The Executive Summary and the complete Background Report can be found through the following links:

Executive Summary of Background Report (PDF format; ~88KB))

                        Background Report ~ Complete or by individual chapters (PDF format; ~32 MB)

The New Brunswick SEA Process
The Province of New Brunswick’s SEA process on tidal energy development in the Bay of Fundy will involve a round of public and marine stakeholder Open Houses that will take place between April 1 -15, 2008 in a number of locations along the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy.  Following these, there will be an assessment of the information collected and examined relative to the Background Report, culminating in the preparation of a Final NB Tidal Energy SEA Report with recommendations submitted to the N.B. Department of Energy which is due in mid-May, 2008.  A transcription of all public and marine stakeholder input will be included with this submission.

NB Public and Marine Stakeholder Participation
As noted above, public and marine stakeholder input will basically be solicited through a series of Open Houses in selected coastal communities of the province.  You are invited to attend the one nearest you and contribute your thoughts toward this process.  The schedule and locations for these Open Houses are indicated below:

Week 1:

Alma ~ April 1, Tuesday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Conference Room, Community Centre, Main Street, Alma (ph. 887-6123)

Moncton ~ April 2, Wednesday, (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Lounge, Lions Senior Citizens Centre, 473 St. George Blvd., Moncton (ph. 382-8560)

Saint John ~ April 3, Thursday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Bayside Middle School,
75 Bayside Drive, Saint John (ph. 658-5331)

Week 2:

Grand Manan Island ~ April 7, Monday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Great Hall, Grand Manan Community School,  1144 Rte. 776, Grand Manan (ph. 662-7000)

Campobello Island ~ April 8, Tuesday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Campobello Island Consolidated School, 1722 Rte. 774, Wilson’s Beach (ph. 752-7000)

St. George ~ April 9, Wednesday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Theatre, Fundy High School,
44 Mt. Pleasant Rd., St. George (ph. 755-4005)

Week 3:

Deer Island  ~ April 15, Tuesday (7:00 – 9:00 pm) Cafeteria, Deer Island Community School, Lord’s Cove (ph. 747-7003)

Back to BoFEP Home