Terrestrial and Aquatic Baseline Assessment

SOAR Professional Services (SOAR) and Dillon Consulting Limited (Dillon) were retained by New Brunswick Power Corporation (NB Power) to conduct Terrestrial and Aquatic Baseline Assessments in support of environmental assessment and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) permitting of proposed advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) at its Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station.

We have partnered with Boreal Environmental, Maqamigew Anqotumeg, and Avanti Environmental, and are supported by academics at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) for the consideration of Indigenous culture and concerns, traditional and current land and resource use, and ecological resources of significance at the earliest stages of project planning. The Terrestrial assessment includes vegetation inventory, wetland delineation and functional assessment, as well as terrestrial wildlife and wildlife habitat (including potential for species at risk bats) characterization. The Aquatic assessment includes the characterization of freshwater fish and aquatic biota habitat including potential for species at risk within stream/brooks.

This multi-year baseline program is grounded in a two-eyed-seeing approach where Indigenous Knowledge and Western science are given equal weight in the characterization of the existing environment. Dillon and SOAR and our partners look forward to continuing to support NB Power in the planning of the future of the Canadian nuclear energy sector for years to come!