1. My name is Robert Connelly and I am currently the President of Connelly Environmental Assessment Consulting Inc. I reside at 706 Kilmar Crescent, Kanata, Ontario. I have been engaged by Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to prepare this report on environmental assessment in Canada and the development, implementation and operation of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (the “Act”).

2. In section 1.0 of this report, I provide information on my background and qualifications. In section 2.0, I provide an overview of the evolution of environmental assessment in Canada from its beginnings in 1974 to the promulgation of the Act in 1995. In section 3.0, I explain the operation of the relevant provisions of the Act that I understand were in force at the time of the environmental assessment of the Whites Point project.1 I also provide some comments on amendments to the Act that came into force on October 30, 2003 and that were applicable to environmental assessments of projects initiated after that date. Finally, in section 4.0, I provide an overview of the joint review panel process.

1.0 Background and Qualifications

3. I have broad experience in environmental issues, primarily in the area of environmental assessment. I received a B.A.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1970 where my studies focussed on environmental engineering. Both as a student, and initially after my graduation, I worked for a consulting engineering company involved in the design and construction of infrastructure projects. I left this consulting firm and joined the Canadian federal government in late 1970.