In a region characterized by increasing concerns over the potential impacts of offshore development and greater demands for engagement in decision making processes, along with growing criticisms of ‘‘an increasingly cumbersome regulatory regime’’ that ‘‘will undermine the attractiveness’’ of Canada’s western Arctic for development [10], SEA provides a much needed opportunity to off-ramp broader environmental science, engagement and policy issues from the project to the strategic level. The result, arguably, will be better planning for offshore development and, at the same time, a much more efficient and effective project EIA and regulatory system.