Challenges and Opportunities of Integrating Human Health into the Environmental Assessment Process: The Canadian Experience Contextualised to International Efforts

Pouyan Mahboubi, Margot W. Parkes and Hing Man Chan
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Pouyan Mahboubi: Northwest Community College, 5331 McConnell Ave, Terrace, BC, Canada V8G 4X2, Canada2University of Northern British Columbia, 353 5th Street, Prince Rupert, BC, Canada V8J 3L6, Canada
Margot W. Parkes: School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9, Canada4Northern Medical Program, University of British Columbia, T&L Building (East), Room #10-3602, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9, Canada
Hing Man Chan: Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5, Canada

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), 2015, vol. 17, issue 04, 1-32

Abstract: A scoping review of the literature was conducted to identify the most pressing issues pertaining to the application of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and the integration of health concerns into the Environmental Assessment (EA) process in Canada and internationally. The issues identified include the need for government intervention, gaps in methodology and tools, limitations of capacity and expertise, poor intersectoral, disciplinary and public collaboration/participation, challenges of data quantification and analytic complexity, and the need for process efficiency. The issues presented were also contextualised to the status quo practice of EA in Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 2012). Recommendations were proposed as a starting point for improved integration. First, a commitment by the actors involved to the protection of human health — aligned with the core mandate of the CEAA. Second, the achievement of intersectoral, disciplinary and public collaboration, led by government, ideally the health sector. The case is made for a new era of Canadian leadership and innovation at the interface of health and EA.

Keywords: CEAA 2012; health; environmental assessment; integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1142/S1464333215500349

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