Abstract
Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia’s offshore wind energy projects show the provinces’ commitment to sustainable energy. Integrating the regional assessment into the projects’ planning and implementation is essential for both provinces to achieve sustainable energy goals, ensuring environmental stewardship and social responsibility through inclusive development. A regional assessment is a study conducted under the Impact Assessment Act in areas of existing or planned projects to plan and manage cumulative effects and project impacts. This approach could support the Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, making it a vital tool for assessing the environmental and socio economic effects of offshore wind energy projects in Atlantic Canada. This study reviews public comments on the regional assessments of offshore wind energy projects in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia based on their alignment with Indigenous rights and sustainability goals. The study used thematic and quantitative analyses to highlight the comments’ alignment with sustainability frameworks. The comments analysis uncovered mixed opinions from stakeholders. Some comments favored the projects for their sustainability and economic benefits. Others opposed or were neutral, expressing concerns about environmental impacts, economic benefits, and poor consultation with Indigenous Peoples. The analysis also revealed that stakeholders engaged with SDGs and UNDRIP issues, but rarely mentioned specific goals or articles. For instance, Article 19- Free, Prior, and Informed Consent was mostly expressed, while other rights governance, labor, cultural preservation, and protections for vulnerable groups and SDGs 1- No Poverty and 2- Zero Hunger were largely absent, suggesting a need for better institutional communication to support comprehensive, meaningful engagement. Moreover, the findings also uncovered a lack of meaningful, timely consultation with Indigenous Peoples, concerns about fair distribution of project benefits, like jobs and local investment, and the need for robust ecological assessments to protect marine and terrestrial ecosystems. To improve the regional assessment process, the study recommends enhancing environmental safeguards and Indigenous-led governance to align projects with the SDGs, preventing the adverse effects of unsustainable practices. It also recommends the promotion of economic justice through benefit-sharing policies that support fair growth, community resilience, and self-determination, and the institutionalization of procedural justice through consent-based consultation (Article 19) to ensure Indigenous participation and reconcile state-Indigenous interests in offshore wind energy projects. Lastly, the study proposes prioritizing stakeholder defined VCs to ensure inclusive, adaptive, and transparent alignment with community priorities and sustainability goals.