Continuous improvement program - 2022-2023 Annual report
Annual evaluation
Twenty-four randomly selected impact assessments (IA) are evaluated each year to see how well they meet the Effective, Efficient and Compliant expected results of the Parks Canada Directive on Impact Assessment.
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Long text description
Representation of the results of the 2022-2023 Annual Evaluation, according to a rating scale where poor scores are from 1 to 3, fair scores are from 4 to 6, good scores 7 to 8 and excellent are from 9 to 10. The results are good (7.5) in the Effective category, good (7.6) in the Efficient category and good (8.8) in the Compliant category.
Highlights:
- Expected Results are achieved overall. Considerable improvements were made in the inclusion of details for surveillance or follow-up monitoring and the depth of analysis.
- 2 Basic Impact Assessments (BIA) and 6 Pre-Approved Routine Impact Assessments received “Excellent” ratings.
- Areas for improvement include quality of BIAs, type of information in IA Pathway Decision forms, and residual effects analysis statements.
Key recommendations:
- Develop and deliver training on how to write Impact Assessment reports (in progress).
- Clarify application and use of IA Pathway Decision form to ensure that correct level of rationale and description is included.
Key investigation
The topic of the 2022-23 Key Investigation was Public Participation. A sample of six Detailed Impact Assessments (DIA) were used to evaluate whether the public had adequate opportunities to meaningfully participate in a DIA process. Methods included internal surveys, a literature review, readability analysis of postings on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (CIAR), and analysis of DIA reports and documents in the project file.
Highlights:
- All DIAs met, or exceeded, the level of public engagement necessary for the type and scale of project. Notably, engagement exceeded requirements of the Impact Assessment Act.
- The DIA prepared for the “Active Management of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site” was highlighted as an excellent example of meaningful public participation in a DIA process.
- Areas for improvement include accessibility of information, transparency, and CIAR engagement.
Key recommendations:
- Improve the readability of CIAR postings.
- Clearly communicate the purpose of participating in a DIA process to the public.
- Proactively engage the public by contacting key stakeholders prior to the 30-day consultation period, send the draft DIA report and final DIA report to key stakeholders, and improve and increase social media posts regarding consultation opportunities.
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