Winnipeg, November 7,
2007 - The Honourable John Baird, Minister
of the Environment and the Honourable Vic
Toews, President of the Treasury Board,
announced today that the Government of Canada
is ramping up its support to clean up Lake
Winnipeg. The Government will be investing
$18 million under under the Action Plan
for Clean Water to fix serious water quality
problems affecting the lake. This is an
additional $11 million to the $7 million
already committed by this Government.
"Our Government is taking real action
to protect and preserve our environment
for all Canadians," said Minister Baird.
"Today's investment is another concrete
step towards restoring the health of Lake
Winnipeg. Local MPs like James Bezan (Selkirk-Interlake)
have fought hard for the clean up of Lake
Winnipeg, and today's announcement reinforces
our commitment to protect Canadian waters
under the Action Plan for Clean Water."
The increased funding for the clean up
of the Lake Winnipeg Basin will support
a science-based approach to understanding
how nutrient runoff affects the ecology
of the lake and how to control nutrient
contributions in watersheds. The Government
will also expand and improve the network
of water monitoring sites in the basin area.
Through these measures the Government hopes
to reduce blue-green algae levels; restore
the ecological integrity of the lake, ensure
a sustainable fishery, and reduce beach
closures.
"Work is underway on a number of fronts
to address the water quality problems in
Lake Winnipeg and its contributing watersheds,
but there is still a lot more to be done,"
said Minister Toews. "Our Government
is committed to delivering real results
for Manitobans. Today's investment of $18
million over the next five years will help
reduce pollution and restore the health
of Lake Winnipeg."
This major investment to clean up Lake
Winnipeg is part of the Government of Canada's
Action Plan for Clean Water. Recently, the
Government has also taken action to protect
water quality including tough new regulations
against the dumping of raw sewage and improving
raw sewage treatment in municipalities and
first nation communities across Canada.
These measures will help filter out substances
like phosphates, which can lead to excessive
blue-green algae production.
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Government of Canada Taking Action to Protect
the Health of the Gulf of Maine
St. Andrews, New Brunswick, November 8,
2007 - The Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister
of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of the Honourable
John Baird, Minister of the Environment,
today announced $751,000 of new funding
for four initiatives of the Gulf of Maine
Council on the Marine Environment as part
of Canada's Action Plan For Clean Water.
This announcement is a component of the
Government of Canada's total investment
of $61.5 million over 5 years to improve
the health of our oceans.
"Today's announcement is further proof
of our Government's commitment to protecting
and preserving our environment," said
Minister Thompson. "Maritimers understand
the need to ensure Canada's marine resources
are protected and our Government is taking
real action to make it happen. Today's investment
in the Gulf of Maine area will ensure a
balanced approach between ongoing economic
prosperity and the health of our oceans."
Today's announcement will contribute to
four initiatives of a joint Canada/USA 5-year
action plan of the Gulf of Maine Council
on the Marine Environment:
The Climate Change Networkwhich is working
on increasing awareness of projections of
how climate change will affect the region
and on developing strategies for adapting
to the changes.
Gulfwatch is a special program for the joint
monitoring for toxic chemicals in the transboundary
ocean waters
Ecosystem Indicators Partnershipwhich is
developing a new Internet-based reporting
system for information about the Gulf of
Maine's environment.
Public Education Productswhich are developed
and delivered by the Council's outreach
committee.
Related Document:
The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine
Environment [Backgrounder, 2007-11-08]
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Baird, Sweet and Wallace Deliver Action
from the Government of Canada to Cleanup
Hamilton Harbour
HAMILTON, Ontario, November 9, 2007 - The
Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment,
David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale
and Mike Wallace, Member of Parliament for
Burlington, announced today that the Government
of Canada is investing $30 million towards
the clean-up of contaminated sediment in
Randle Reef in the Hamilton Harbour Area
of Concern in the Great Lakes.
"Delivering action to cleaning up
the Great Lakes and our Canadian waters
is important for this government,"
said Minister Baird. "We know that
Randle Reef is a priority and that is why
our government is putting its funding on
the table immediately to ensure that the
Hamilton lakefront returns to productive
economic and recreational use for the benefit
of us and our children."
Hamilton Harbour is the largest and most
severely contaminated Canadian site within
the Great Lakes. It is expected that the
Province of Ontario, along with municipal
and local partners will each contribute
one-third of the remaining costs.
"This is a great day for Hamilton
Harbour and the environment in this area,"
said Mr. Sweet. "So many have worked
so hard and I'm pleased that our Government
has recognized the calls that MP Wallace
and I have made to address Randle Reef."
The project involves the construction of
a 9.5-hectare containment facility (made
of double-lined steel walls with a clay
bottom), which will be built around the
area with the heaviest contamination and
be used to store the less contaminated sediment
dredged from the surrounding area. Once
dredging is complete, the facility will
be capped with clean fill and two-thirds
of the area will become a shipping pier
and the rest a naturalized shoreline. The
containment facility is expected to have
a 200-year lifespan.
"There is nothing more vital to our
communities and our people than clean, healthy
water. It is what Canadians demand and my
constituents deserve," said Mr. Wallace.
"The people of Hamilton deserve to
have their waterfront returned to them and
today we are taking a major step towards
restoring the full economic and recreational
potential of this harbour."
This major investment to clean up Hamilton
Harbour is part of the Government of Canada's
Action Plan for Clean Water. Recently, the
Government has also taken action to protect
water quality, including tough new regulations
against the dumping of raw sewage and improving
raw sewage treatment in municipalities and
first nation communities across Canada.
These measures will help filter out substances
like phosphates, which can lead to excessive
blue-green algae production.
Backgrounders on the Hamilton Harbour clean-up
project and the overall Great Lakes clean-up
initiative are available.
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Two People Convicted and Fined for Their
Role in a Major International Endangered
Species Smuggling Ring
Halifax, NS, November 8, 2007 -Two Florida
residents were convicted and fined in Halifax
Provincial Court today for their roles in
a major smuggling ring involving Queen Conch,
an internationally protected marine endangered
species.
Mr. Ramon Placeres, 58, and Ms. Janitse
Martinez, 33, were represented by their
legal counsel to face charges laid by Environment
Canada Wildlife Enforcement Officers under
the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and
Regulation of International and Interprovincial
Trade Act.
Both received a fine of $10,000 U.S. dollars
for unlawfully importing Queen Conch meat
into Canada and another fine of $10,000
U.S. dollars for unlawfully exporting Queen
Conch meat from Canada. $20,000 of this
will be placed in the Environmental Damages
Fund that is administered by Environment
Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada.
The Fund provides courts with a way to direct
money from fines to work to restore and
protect the environment
The convictions are part of an 18-month-long
investigation involving federal wildlife
officers in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec,
and British Columbia, and American officers
from Florida. Canadian and United States
federal wildlife officials announced on
September 26, 2007 that the smuggling ring
had been dismantled.
The smuggling operation is believed to
have been responsible for illegally importing
and exporting 119,978 kilograms (the equivalent
of nearly seven fully loaded semi trailers)
of Queen Conch meat from several Caribbean
and South American countries to and from
Canada and the United States from 2004 to
2006. Environment Canada Enforcement Officers
seized 17,672 kilograms of the meat in Halifax,
the largest amount seized in Canada. There
were also seizures in Montreal and in Buffalo,
New York. The United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, the United States National Marine
Fisheries Service, and Canadian and American
border officials also contributed to the
investigation that lead to the seizures.
Proceedings are ongoing in Vancouver Provincial
Courtagainst Pacific Marine Union Corp.
of Vancouver, British Columbia and its Chief
Executive Officer, Mr. Zamorro Gabriel Shone,
also of Vancouver, British Columbia regarding
their alleged role in the smuggling ring.
Queen Conch is protected under the Convention
on the International Trade of Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In Canada,
this Convention is implemented by the Wild
Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation
of International and Interprovincial Trade
Act. Under this Act offences are punishable
upon conviction to a maximum fine of $300,000
or imprisonment up to five years, or both.
It has been estimated that the meat of between
798,000 and 1.05 million individual conchs
was seized from the smuggling ring.
Environment Canada is responsible for enforcing
federal laws regulating wildlife trade,
including trade in endangered and invasive
species, as well as laws for protecting
species at risk and conserving migratory
birds and select wildlife areas.
To report the smuggling or trafficking
of endangered species or any infraction
of a federal wildlife law, the public is
invited to contact Environment Canada's
Wildlife Enforcement Division toll free
at 1-800-463-4311.
Les Sampson
Wildlife Enforcement Officer
Wildlife Enforcement Division, Atlantic
