Environmental Defence and other environmental groups are warning that federal government plans to speed up major project development in Canada could put the Southern Resident Orcas at risk of extinction. The group has launched an ad campaign highlighting concerns about Ottawa's proposal to establish "economic zones" for transportation corridors, telecommunications networks, and energy production and transmission. According to Environmental Defence, this plan would allow the federal cabinet to pre-approve projects in these zones and potentially exempt them from species protections laws. There are only 74 Southern Resident Orcas left, according to estimates by the Marine Mammal Commission.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Environmental groups, including Environmental Defence and Ecojustice, are warning that Ottawa's planned legislation could put Southern Resident Orcas at risk of extinction. The groups are concerned about a provision that would allow the federal cabinet to pre-approve projects in designated "economic zones" for industries such as transportation, telecommunications, and energy production. According to Julia Levin of Environmental Defence, changes are being considered to the initial draft, but the government has not publicly disclosed what those changes might be. The groups say that underwater noise from ships could drown out the orcas' ability to hunt, communicate, and navigate, pushing them towards extinction. This issue is tied to Ottawa's plan to designate the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest, which began last week.
Written for “Whales at Risk from Projects” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Some of Canada’s leading environmental groups are pushing the federal government to change aspects of proposed legislation to speed up development of major projects before it’s tabled this fall.
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it → lead → projects
Environmental Defence has launched an ad campaign to draw attention to the potential fate of the Southern Resident Orcas.
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Defence → launch → Orcas
The group says the whales are at risk if Ottawa moves ahead with a bill changing how major projects are reviewed.
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projects → say → bill
The group says it’s concerned about Ottawa’s plan to establish “economic zones” for transportation corridors, telecommunications networks, and energy production and transmission.
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it → say → corridors
Those zones would allow the federal cabinet to decide which activities would be allowed in them, and give ministers the power to pre-approve projects.
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activities → allow → projects
“We’ve heard from MPs that changes are being considered from what was drafted initially,” Julia Levin, an associate director at Environmental Defence, told The Canadian Press.
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Levin → hear → Press
“But the government has not said anything publicly around the direction and what that might look like, and specifically on the changes to species protections.”
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that → say → protections
Ottawa released two discussion papers in May which also proposed, among other things, taking the responsibility for reviewing pipelines, transmission lines and offshore renewable energy projects away from the Impact Assessment Agency and handing it to the Canada Energy Regulator.
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which → release → Regulator
The federal government has said it has been told by industry that the level of expertise on energy projects that lived at the Canada Energy Regulator couldn’t be found at the Impact Assessment Agency.
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that → say → Agency
Ottawa initially set a deadline of June 7 for feedback but extended it to July 22 following heavy criticism, primarily from environmental and Indigenous groups.
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Ottawa → set → groups
They also pushed the timeline to table legislation to the fall sitting, which begins on Sept. 21.
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which → push → Sept.
The government said last month it received more than 21,000 emails on the proposed changes.
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it → say → changes
It said a summary report on the consultations would be finalized by the end of the summer.
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report → say → summer
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday there was no update available on the status of the report.
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spokesperson → say → report
Ottawa is also proposing to exempt certain projects from laws designed to protect species at risk.
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Ottawa → propose → risk
The Marine Mammal Commission – an independent U.S. government agency established by Congress – estimated there were only 74 Southern Resident Orca whales left as of July 2025.
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Commission → establish → July
The animal is protected in Canada under the Species At Risk Act.
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animal → protect → Act
“Their habitat is the Salish Sea – the exact waters oil and LNG tankers must pass through,” reads an excerpt from a new website Environmental Defence launched Thursday.
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Defence → pass → website
“Underwater noise from these ships drowns out the orcas’ ability to hunt, communicate, and navigate – pushing them toward extinction.”
Separately, Ecojustice – which has dubbed the pending legislation the ’orca extinction bill’ – began its own media campaign Wednesday after Ottawa began the process to designate the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 as a project of national interest last week.
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Ottawa → drown → interest
The government says the terminal would increase the Port of Vancouver’s container capacity by nearly 50 per cent, and help to double Canada’s exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035.
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terminal → say → 2035
Designation as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act allows the government to skirt the Species At Risk Act to permit the project to proceed.
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government → allow → project
Ottawa is also proposing to give cabinet ministers what it calls “limited” power to exempt projects from what’s known as the “jeopardy test” for species at risk.
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what → propose → risk
“But only if it’s in the public interest and if the proponent has made all reasonable efforts to avoid or reduce impacts on at-risk species,” says a federal discussion paper on the proposal.
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paper → ’ → proposal
“In plain terms: the law is meant to stop projects from pushing endangered species closer to extinction,” Ecojustice said in a post on its website Tuesday.
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Ecojustice → mean → website
“The proposed changes could create a way for projects to get around that protection.”
In June, when environmental groups were on Parliament Hill lobbying against the proposals, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the government was “absolutely not” tossing away environmental protections in its proposals.
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government → propose → proposals
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled the surname of Julia Levin.
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version → misspell → Levin
