Require the assessment of 'functional' critical habitat for Species at Risk (specifically Eastern Whip-poor-will) rather than limiting the scope to legally 'designated' critical habitat.
Strategic Rationale
The Proponent's submission notes the presence of Eastern Whip-poor-will but states there is 'no critical habitat... designated' in federal recovery strategies. This legalistic approach ignores biological reality; if the site contains the biophysical attributes necessary for the species' survival, it functions as critical habitat regardless of its current legal status. To ensure the project does not degrade the local ecosystem, the assessment must protect habitat that serves the function of critical habitat, ensuring the long-term biodiversity of the Melgund area is preserved despite regulatory lags in federal designations.
Source Context
Understanding the Impacts of Nuclear Waste on our Community
This digital archive houses the public comments submitted to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada regarding Project 88774: The Nuclear Waste Management Organization Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel Project. The impact assessment is led jointly by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. This archive preserves community perspectives, concerns, and observations shared during the assessment process, particularly in relation to Melgund Township, Northwestern Ontario and the communities of Dyment and Borups Corners who are the closest and most impacted of all in the process.