摘要：Cumulative effects assessment is a process of scientific analysis, social choice, and publicpolicy development, yet the linkages among these domains are often less than transparent. Limits to scientificand technical assessment, issues of power and control of information, and episodic forms of civicengagement represent serious challenges to meaningful understanding of cumulative effects assessmentand land-use planning. In articulating these challenges, I draw on case studies from Ontario's Lands forLife and Alberta's Land-use Framework to illustrate current limitations to cumulative effects assessmenton public lands in Canada. As a partial remedy for these limitations, insights into a pragmatic approach toimpact assessment, in contrast to decisionistic and technocratic approaches, offer a way forward througha more robust integration of scientific information, civic engagement, and public policy development. Ialso identify a need for longer-standing institutions that are dedicated to regional planning and cumulativeeffects assessment in Canada
