The government is resolute in advancing amendments to the environmental and planning review tribunal act, aiming to automatically suspend planning permits under third-party appeal or, for that matter, external consultee involvement.

This marks a departure from the current process where suspension requires a specific request through  a parallel application by the objector-appellant, and ultimately rests at the discretion of the tribunal to grant. The current discourse is not focused on the question of whether automatic suspensions should be granted regardless of the project’s nature. This appears to be inevitable, particularly since the opposition raised the issue prominently last May. 

The crucial question now is the method of implementation. In an article featured in today’s Talking Point section of the Times, I delve into a proposed path forward.