Environmental Impact Assessment

Management Planning

Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan

Context

The Management Plan for Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada has undergone a strategic environmental review in accordance with the Cabinet Directive entitled “Environmental Assessment Process for Policy and Program Proposals.” This federal environmental assessment process is a self-evaluation mechanism used by federal departments and agencies to determine, assess and generally minimize the environmental impacts of projects or activities they plan to undertake. In accordance with Parks Canada’s Management Directive 2.4.4 on impact assessment, the scope of these environmental assessments extends to cultural resources, so that all the factors bearing on the assessment are included in the same report. The environmental assessment of this Management Plan is presented in a separate document entitled “Évaluation environnementale stratégique du plan directeur du lieu historique national du Canada du Canal de-Carillon” (Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Management Plan for Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada). The following sections provide a summary of this document.

Methodological Approach

The environmental assessment of the Management Plan was carried out in several stages. The first consisted of determining the scope of the assessment with respect both to the elements to be considered and to the temporal and spatial limits of the exercise. Then the general directions presented in the Management Plan were examined to ensure that they accorded with the mandate and policies of Parks Canada. The next step involved identifying the stressors that might result from the presentation of Carillon Canal National Historic Site. These potential impacts were defined by using a matrix that showed the relationship between elements of the Management Plan and components of the receiving environment. The impacts were then characterized according to their duration (temporary or permanent impact) and intensity (no impact, weak impact, impact that could be mitigated or not, or unknown impact). The cumulative effect of these impacts was assessed by determining to what degree the interaction of certain elements in the Management Plan would contribute to improving or impairing key components of the environment. Finally, general measures intended to reduce anticipated negative impacts were defined.

Scope of the Environmental Assessment

This environmental assessment is based on existing documentation as well as on the opinions of various specialists in the management of cultural and natural resources. The assessment takes into consideration both biophysical resources (soil, air, water, terrestrial and aquatic vegetation and wildlife) and cultural resources (cultural landscape, built heritage, archaeological resources and commemorative integrity). However, the study of cumulative impacts deals only with the resources that are considered significant in the environment.

Compliance of the Management Plan’s Strategic Directions

The preservation of commemorative integrity is the keystone of Parks Canada’s mandate with respect to national historic sites. The statements presented in the Management Plan for Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada in no way compromises this integrity. Indeed, on the whole, they provide support for this component of Parks Canada’s mandate. Nonetheless, two of the recommendations could eventually come into conflict with the objective of ensuring the commemorative integrity of the site. These recommendations are:

• to lay out a foot path between the toll collector’s house and the superintendent’s house;
• to strengthen existing co-operation agreements and establish new ones, especially those whose goal is to encourage tourism and promote the site as a cultural and nautical destination.

Furthermore, the services and activities available for a fee on the site and in the surrounding area may have an impact on other common activities that are directly related to Parks Canada’s mission and that take place on the site. For example, powercraft rented beyond the boundaries of the site could lead to a considerable increase in noise levels, which in turn could interfere with holding an activity like guided tours in certain sectors of the site.

In the Management Plan for Carillon Canal National Historic Site of Canada, there are no natural resources that are identified as having a special significance. In any case, the general directions presented in the Plan do not in any way compromise the preservation of these resources.

Identifying Impact Sources and Evaluating Preoccupations

The study of anticipated impacts on natural resources showed that setting up new facilities for visitors would have a positive effect with respect to communicating the site’s heritage values. The more negative impacts of such facilities are related to an increase in the quantity of waste resulting from an anticipated rise in the number of visitors, as well as the uses to which the facilities will be put. For instance, the occupation of the superintendent’s house will entail dealing with wastewater, solid waste and electricity consumption. Other negative impacts include higher noise levels and water pollution (for example, as a result of powercraft rented in the surrounding area).

The improved service offer should bring about noticeable increases in the number of visitors to the site, as well as in the amount of time they spend there and the activities they engage in. The fact that more visits will take place in a given time and space may have an effect on the vegetation cover to varying degrees, depending on the sector. The addition of interpretation panels outside in the historic zone should take into account the presence of what are presumed to be archaeological remains in this sector and should not interfere with enjoyment of the cultural landscape.

The development concept recommended by the Plan should normally help to improve the present heritage context, both on the site and in the surrounding area.

Mitigation Strategies

To counteract the probable negative impacts of presenting the site, the following strategies should be adopted:

• bare patches on the ground should be re-sodded or protected by accepted techniques such as laying down biodegradable membranes;
• the mitigation measures recommended in studies made previous to projects and activities should be implemented so as to minimize potential negative impacts on cultural resources.

Conclusion

This strategic environmental assessment makes it possible to distinguish the principal impacts that are likely to have an effect, on a one-time basis or cumulatively, on the environment and, to somewhat lesser degree, on the biophysical resources. The strategies and measures for mitigating these impacts, as proposed in the plan, should serve as a frame of reference and guide management in the actions it undertakes to counteract the stressful effects of implementing each project and activity in accordance with the objectives of Parks Canada’s mission.

In general, the proposals put forward in the Management Plan correspond to the policy requirements of programs that have been based on Parks Canada’s mandate. The impacts on the natural and cultural environment of the site are for the most part positive. Those that are not can generally be mitigated through the implementation of appropriate measures and accepted techniques determined on the basis of environmental studies carried out before work begins on a project or in the early stages of a given use of the grounds. It should be mentioned that no particular concerns were voiced in the public consultations.