Quebec announces plan to cut environmental assessment times in half

MONTREAL — Quebec’s will reduce the amount of time it takes to complete an environmental assessment by about half in order to speed up major projects such as mines and energy sector development, Environment Minister Bernard Drainville said Monday.

He said the time savings will come from simplifying the process for industry and government, without compromising standards.

“I think the strength of our environmental requirements are maintained, and in some regards strengthened, because we involve the public much more quickly,” Drainville said.

He said the time to complete an environmental assessment will drop to nine months, down from the current 13 to 18.

An assessment is a mandatory step that evaluates the environmental impact of certain categories of major projects, including those in the energy, industrial, mining and transportation sector.

It requires the project initiators to submit an impact assessment, which is then analyzed by the environment department’s experts and the environmental public consultation office. The environment department then submits a recommendation to the government, which decides if the project can proceed, and whether to impose conditions.

Drainville said his plan includes reducing paperwork and shortening the process. lt will also allow affected members of the public and Indigenous communities to get involved in reviews earlier in the process.

A union representing government workers expressed doubt that the government could significantly reduce processing times without letting standards slip. It noted the government has also expressed a desire to reduce the size of the government workforce.

“The only way is to lower the standards and ask public sector workers to cut corners, especially since the delays are generally attributable to the applicants,” SPGQ President Guillaume Bouvrette said in a news release. “The minister assures us there will be no compromise on rigour, but we are very skeptical.”

Alain Branchaud, the head of the Quebec branch of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, noted that strong assessments are necessary to protect not only the environment, but also whether a project will be economically viable.

There will be a consultation on the new rules beginning later this week, after they are published in the province’s official Gazette.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.

The Canadian Press