We know that impact assessment is designed  to anticipate, assess and help avoid the negative impact of developments upon people and ecosystems, but what about the negative impacts of the IA process upon people? I had the opportunity to sit on the UA Master’s committee for Amy Wilson, who was supervised by my colleague John Parkins, while she explored the impacts of the IA process on the communities potentially affected by the Grassy Mountain Coal Project in southwestern Alberta. The paper from that work, Reversing the gaze: understanding how community members are negatively affected by impact assessment, was published OA this week in Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal. Three impact locations are identified and described using 49 interviews with experts and affected people: (1) risk perceptions and anticipatory impacts, (2) procedural issues, and (3) community and regional conflicts. Congratulations, Amy!