The Quebec government is aiming to cut by half the time it takes to conduct an environmental review of a proposed project.

The goal is to get energy, mining, industrial and transportation projects off the ground more quickly, Environment Minister Bernard Drainville said Monday.

Under the new proposed measures, the Environment Ministry would aim to complete a review nine months after receiving an impact study. Currently, that process can take up to 18 months.

Speaking at a news conference in Quebec City, Drainville insisted the changes would not reduce the level of environmental oversight. He said the current system takes too long and is too bureaucratic.

“We think that the result of this improved process, more modern process, will benefit both the economy and the environment,” he said.

Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is also expected to table a bill before the holiday break aimed at fast-tracking major projects, inspired by the federal government’s legislation geared toward “nation-building” projects.

Drainville took over as Quebec’s environment minister in a cabinet shuffle last September. At the time, Premier François Legault said overhauling the Environment Ministry’s rules and timelines would be a priority.

To achieve the new timeline, Dravinville said the government would switch to a paperless system, more quickly consult with the public and Indigenous communities and grant a larger role to the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE). 

Drainville said the process will be “more transparent” and more focused on the specifics of a proposal. The draft regulation outlining the changes will be open for public consultation through Jan. 24.

Alice-Anne Simard, executive director of Nature Québec, said Monday she is concerned the reforms will come at a cost despite assurances to the contrary.

“Once you remove regulations, you always find yourself less protecting the environment,” Simard told CBC Montreal’s Daybreak.

“It would be great to have a project approved twice as fast … but what we see is that we are weakening our different legislation and regulations to protect the environment.”

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