Ottawa rejects Hartlen Point residents’ call for renewed environmental impact assessment of DND site

NNeighbors and environmentalists who hoped Ottawa would revisit plans for a 93,000-square-foot military testing facility on the edge of the Eastern Passage are looking for other avenues. Late last week, Canada’s federal Impact Assessment Agency rejected the group’s request to designate the Department of National Defense’s $129 million Hartlen Point project for further assessment.

The reason?

The project — which will see the DND construct a two-story, 11,500-square-foot warehouse and office building to test the systems of its future warship fleet in what critics say is a vital biodiversity hotspot — has progressed too far to stop, states the IAAC. .

Canadian military officials consider Hartlen Point “critical” to testing the combat and navigation capabilities of the soon-to-be-built Canadian Surface Combatant ships. Ottawa is spending in excess of $84.5 billion out of 15 ships, described as Canada’s “principal surface component of maritime combat power.” But the plan to test the functions of those ships at Hartlen Point met opposition from those who live, fish and hike nearby.

Members of Protect Hartlen Point, a group of about 20,000 East Passage residents, environmentalists, bird watchers, surfers, lobster fishers and others concerned about the DND’s plans filed a request in March with Federal Environment Secretary Steven Guilbeault, declaring the minister called for the project to be designated for additional review. They claim that the DND’s environmental reports were inadequate. For its part, the DND claims that it has already studied the possible impacts on wetlands, birds, bats and soil.

Members of Protect Hartlen Point were hopeful that their appeal would be heard by Guilbeault, given their concerns about bird habitat loss, possible additional fire hazards from drying wetlands, and the expanding scope of the DND project: in two years, it expanded from a $65 million project to $129 million, and from a 9,000 square foot facility to a total project footprint of 92,810 square feet.

However, in an email to Protect Hartlen Point members on July 6, 2023, IAAC President Terence Hubbard writes that the judging authority members hoped for does not apply in this case, as development of the site has already “substantially begun” is. The DND began clearing trees and shrubbery from the site in March. At the time, a DND spokesperson told The Coast that the tree removal window was chosen to “avoid the breeding and migration windows for birds and bats”.

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Excavations have begun at Hartlen Point, where the Department of National Defense plans to build an 11,500-square-foot warship testing facility.

(The army Report Determination of Environmental Effectssummarizing the potential adverse impacts of the construction of the site and steps to mitigate those impacts, notes that existing trees and vegetation “will be maintained as far as possible” and that new trees and native plants “will be planted on site “.)

In an email to The Coast, Karen Robb, a Halifax resident and Protect Hartlen Point member, writes that she is “disappointed” with the decision but is not yet done with her efforts.

A spokesperson for the DND says the department “wants to reassure everyone that respect for the environment and wildlife is a top priority for DND,” and that it continues to work with both Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans “to ensure construction is carried out responsibly and in full compliance with environmental laws and regulations.”