As an example of the challenges and opportunities that virtual consultations present for environmental assessment (EA) governance, domestic and international evidence indicates that the pandemic restrictions are being used to fast-track projects without the possibility of in-person gatherings. Nevertheless, stakeholders and researchers also report that actors are adapting to the pandemic conditions. Thus, virtual engagement and consultation, monitoring, auditing and consulting practices have become common practice, especially in the environmental assessments (EAs) of mining projects. This discussion paper outlines the online consultation context, its transparency challenges and opportunities, particularly related to Indigenous community consultation processes, and what actions should be deployed to ensure a meaningful virtual engagement and transparency and accountability in EA processes of mining projects in the Canadian context.
