What are the Opportunities for Public Input in Decision-Making?
The role of the public in government decision-making processes is critical, as public trust and broad acceptance of risk management measures are acknowledged to be key for effective risk management implementation. CEPA 1999 provides a structured predictable approach to risk management decision-making that provides for the input and full consideration of public values and concerns at all stages of the decision-making process. The CEPA 1999 decision-making framework: • enables the government to be informed on an ongoing basis of the public’s concerns; • allows the public to influence the identification of environmental problems to be assessed; • engages a wide spectrum of stakeholders including environmental groups, industries, aboriginal people, other governments and communities; • provides an opportunity for public values to influence environmental objectives and solutions; and • allows the public to articulate the levels of risks that are tolerable or acceptable, which influences the
