Sufficiency Determination. On April 15, 2005, the Panel announced that it would host a conference to review the contents of all information filed by the Proponents. The results of the conference would be used by the Panel to determine whether there was sufficient information on the public record to proceed to the public hearings phase of its review. The conference was held in Yellowknife from June 26 to 29, 2005, and was led by a facilitator retained by the Panel. The Proponents and 21 Interveners made presentations at the conference, which was attended by members of the Panel as observers. The conference facilitator’s report was issued on July 14, 2005. On July 18, 2005, the Panel issued its Sufficiency Determination, a copy of which is included as Appendix 3. The Panel concluded that “there is sufficient information to proceed to the public hearings phase of its review, subject to certain information being filed within the time frame prescribed by the Panel.” The Panel concluded that the major issues to be considered in its review had been identified and could be addressed in the hearings, which should reveal and address any new information that might affect the Panel’s recommendations. The Panel also concluded that many of the deficiencies cited by Interveners who were opposed to proceeding to the hearings phase represented, in fact, differences in approach or concerns about the merits or quality of the information provided rather than the sufficiency of information to proceed to public hearings. In the Panel’s view, such differences would be best addressed in the public hearings. As part of its Sufficiency Determination, the Panel also advised of its intention to adopt a sustainability framework for its assessment of the Project, which is discussed in Chapter 5, “Approach and Methods.”
Sufficiency Determination
