Introduction

Nowadays most countries have an existing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system in place. An EIA may be required for designated projects like the building of mines, roads, or dams. EIA is a planning and decision-making tool to assess and address the impacts of the proposed development before they start. EIA help us understand the environmental setting of the project, predict the potential impacts and propose measures to mitigate the adverse impacts if there were any.

EIA includes components of monitoring and follow-up programs to ensure the impacts are managed in compliance with sustainability and applicable regulations. Benefits of conducting an EIA include protection of the environment and human health, avoiding negative effects, increasing positive effects, and enhanced understanding about project impacts from the input of Indigenous peoples and the public.

Objectives

The main objective of this workshop is to introduce attendees to basics and principles of the Environmental Impact Assessment. The specific objectives are to provide:

• A general understanding of the federal legislative framework for EIA
• An introduction to Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and its on-line resources
• A review of the main steps and procedures for conducting EIAs
• An overview of required background information
• An introduction to harmonization between federal and provincial governments

Module 1. Introduction, Basic Principles, and Regulatory context.

• – EIA Legislation Definitions
• – EIA procedures and steps
• – Review of contaminants and their properties

Module 2. Theoretical Background Knowledge

• – Basic concepts
• – Baseline and Existing Conditions
• – Environmental & Social Impacts Identification

Module 3. Screening, Scoping, Public Participation   

• – Screening and Scoping
• – Public Participation

Module 4. Impact Analysis 

• – Impact Assessment Methods
• – Impact Analysis
• – Mitigation and Impact Management

Module 5. Reporting, Monitoring, Follow-up  

• •  – EIA Report
  •  – Monitoring and Follow-up

Module 6. Case Studies

• – Case Studies
• – Review

Majid Sartaj

Majid Sartaj is a registered Professional Engineer and a faculty member at Civil Engineering Department of the University of Ottawa. He holds a BSc degree in Civil Eng., and a MSc and PhD degree in Environmental Eng.  Dr. Sartaj has more than 20 years of experience in academia as well as consulting in Environmental Engineering and Assessment. During this time, he has taught courses on the design of water & wastewater treatment, solid waste management, environmental impact assessment, environmental site assessment, and site and field investigation. His research areas include sustainable solid waste management (SWM) technologies, with the main focus on Bioreactor Landfilling, remediation of contaminated soils, Environmental Assessment of Contaminated sites, the application of adsorption and Ion-Exchange processes for removal of contaminants, and modeling their fate and transport in the environment.

Dr. Sartaj is the author or co-author of around 100 research publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. He has supervised or co-supervised more than 40 graduate students. Dr. Sartaj has been an active participant and organizer of several national and international conferences.

The course is delivered online through our easy-to-use Virtual Campus platform. For this course, a variety of content is provided including:

– eLearning materials
– Videos
– Interactive multimedia content
– Live webinar classes
– Texts and technical articles
– Case studies
– Assignments and evaluation exercises

Students can download the materials and work through the course at their own pace. We regularly update this course to ensure the latest news and state-of-the-art developments are covered, and your knowledge of the subject is current.

Live webinars form part of our course delivery. These allow students and tutors to go through the course materials, exchange ideas and knowledge, and solve problems together in a virtual classroom setting. Students can also make use of the platform’s forum, a meeting point to interact with tutors and other students.

The tutoring system is managed by email. Students can email the tutor with any questions about the course and the tutor will be happy to help.

Basic knowledge in Math and Environmental Science is required. In order to conduct EIA, the participants should have previous general knowledge about the different types of environmental contaminants and their impacts on human health and environment.

Once a student finishes the course and successfully completes the assignments and evaluation tests, they are sent an accreditation certificate. The certificate is issued by Ingeoexpert to verify that the student has passed the course. It is a digital certificate that is unique and tamper-proof – it is protected by Blockchain technology. This means it is possible for anyone to check that it is an authentic, original document.

You will be able to download the certificate in an electronic format from the Virtual Campus platform. The certificate can be forwarded by email, shared on social networks, and embedded on websites. To see an example, click here.

Consultants involved in Environmental Assessment, project developers in public and private sector who would require an understanding of the EIA process for possible review of EIA reports as well as Environmental Engineers and practitioners.

After participating in the course,

• – you have the knowledge on how Environmental Impact Assessment in Canada at Federal and Provincial Levels is conducted.
• – you are familiar with EIA related legislation
• – you know how screening of proposed projects are conducted
• – you are familiar with the procedures for public participation
• – you are familiar with various impact assessment methods
• – you know how to devise mitigation measures and monitoring programs
• – you are able to prepare an EIA report