Small Communities and Public Participation in the Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment Process: The Case of Little Bouctouche River, New Brunswick

This paper uses a case study of a small community effectively engaging with the environmental assessment process to examine the changing nature of this practice in Canada and the implications of these changes for New Brunswick. The case study considers the role of citizens and grassroots organizations in determining the future of a local bridge and causeway over the Little Bouctouche River in McKee’s Mills (New Brunswick, Canada) and in expanding the discussion to include an assessment of the long-term health of the waterway. By relying on attendance at each of the locally organized public meetings dealing with the restoration project, an analysis of written statements and other documents posted on the citizen-based website, and interviews with key community organizers and government representatives, this study develops baseline criteria for effective public involvement within the larger, more formalized provincial environmental assessment processes. In specific terms, it ties public participation to the broader topic of cumulative impact assessment in the province within the changing context of federal-provincial assessment processes. This study finds that concerned individuals, who are passionate about an issue that galvanizes them into action, act as catalysts for the involvement of community groups in the environmental assessment process and, by doing so, they can affect in a significant way the implementation and outcomes of this type of review as well as management policies and processes. In the case of McKee’s Mills, these individuals enlisted the aid of like-minded community members and concerned citizens, canvassed the local residents for their thoughts and perspectives, joined forces with other groups and organizations with similar concerns, as well as contacted government departments and local dignitaries. The community’s identification of the need for a cumulative effects approach to the assessment has important implications for the way in which the government of New Brunswick might conduct successful environmental reviews. This research highlights the importance of grassroots organizations in protecting, preserving, and conserving communities in an ever-changing world.

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