Part
of Government of Canada's Action Plan for
Clean Water
EAST GWILLIMBURY, ON -- JULY 11, 2008 --
The Hon. Peter Van Loan, MP for York-Simcoe
and Government House Leader, on behalf of
Canada's Environment Minister John Baird,
today announced funding for the Holland
Landing Riparian Planting project in East
Gwillimbury.
"After years of
hard work and dedication, I am pleased to
announce that the first recipient of federal
funding to clean up Lake Simcoe is the Lake
Simcoe Region Conservation Authority,"
said Minister Van Loan. "Today's announcement
is just the beginning. Over the coming months
we will be contributing millions to local
organizations to preserve and protect Lake
Simcoe."
"We are excited
to be partnering with the federal government
to clean up Lake Simcoe," said Virginia
Hackson, Chair of the Lake Simcoe Region
Conservation Authority. "We look forward
to a long and productive relationship with
the federal government that results in a
healthy, vibrant, and clean lake that the
residents of Lake Simcoe can enjoy for decades
to come."
In addition to the federal
government, the Lake Simcoe Conservation
Foundation, the Regional Municipality of
York and the Town of East Gwillimbury are
all supporting the project. "We are
thrilled to be able to leverage private
funds with this federal funding. The leadership
provided by Peter Van Loan and the Government
of Canada helps everyone do more for Lake
Simcoe," said Doug Blakey, President,
Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation.
"York Region is
pleased to partner with the Conservation
Authority and the federal government to
preserve and protect Lake Simcoe,"
said Bill Fisch, Chairman of the Regional
Municipality of York.
"Today's announcement
by the federal government is a positive
step towards improving Lake Simcoe and the
Town of East Gwillimbury is proud to be
part of it," said James Young, Mayor
of East Gwillimbury.
The Lake Simcoe Region
Conservation Authority will be receiving
$6,500 from the Federal Government's Lake
Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. The project will reduce
phosphorous and soil erosion by planting
riparian areas along the East Holland River.
Projects funded by the
Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund are designed to
preserve and protect the environment of
Lake Simcoe. These projects are part of
an overall investment of $30 million over
five years, which was announced in February
2008.
This investment to clean
up Lake Simcoe is part of the Government's
Action Plan for Clean Water, which includes
projects like the Health of the Oceans initiative
to protect Canada's three oceans, the cleanup
of Randle Reef in Hamilton Harbour and action
on pollution in Lake Winnipeg.
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Government of Canada
Bans More Harmful Chemicals
More Action Taken Under
Chemicals Management Plan
OTTAWA, ON -- July 11, 2008 -- Canada's
Environment Minister, the Honourable John
Baird, and the Minister of Health, the Honourable
Tony Clement, announced today that the Government
of Canada will publish final regulations
to reduce the levels of Polybrominated Diphenyl
Ethers(PBDEs) that could be entering the
environment. Today's announcement is just
one more example of how our the Government's
Chemicals Management Plan is taking action
to protect our environment from harmful
chemicals.
"Once again, when
it comes to taking action on toxic chemicals,
our Government is leading the way,"
said Minister Baird. "Right now, we're
taking action to address all PBDEs, and
today we are banning those substances that
have been identified as an immediate concern
to the environment" said Minister Baird.
"The Government
of Canada is committed to taking action
on chemical substances," said Minister
Clement. "These regulations will achieve
real results by minimizing the amount of
these substances in our environment."
PBDEs are used to slow
the spread of fire in a wide variety of
plastics, fabrics, glues, sealants and foams.
While they were not found to be harmful
to human health, they are toxic to the environment
because they build up and last a long time
in the environment.
PBDEs are not manufactured
in Canada but are imported for use in commercial
and consumer products. There are three commercial
mixtures that contain PBDEs:
• PentaBDE is used mostly in flexible polyurethane
foam, which is used as cushioning in upholstered
furniture, automotive seating and carpet
backing.
• OctaBDE is used in acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene (ABS) plastics as a flame retardant
for computer housings, pipes, appliances
and automotive parts.
• DecaBDE is primarily used in the high
impact polystyrene component of electronic
equipment housings, and is also the main
commercial PBDE product used as a flame
retardant in upholstery and drapery textiles.
The new regulations
will prohibit the manufacture of all PBDEs
and restrict the import, use and sale of
PentaBDE and OctaBDE which meet the criteria
for virtual elimination under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999.
The regulations are
a first step in mitigating the risk posed
by PBDEs in Canada. Additional actions are
being developed to complement these Regulations,
including: a regulation to control PBDEs
already contained in manufactured products;
a voluntary approach to minimize releases
to the environment from the use of the DecaBDE
commercial mixture in manufacturing operations
in Canada; a detailed review of newly published
science on DecaBDE, to determine if there
is a need for further controls on the DecaBDE
commercial mixture; and monitoring of Canadians'
exposure to PBDEs and concentrations in
the environment.
These actions, collectively,
will minimize Canadians' exposure to PBDEs
and help to ensure that Canada's environment
is protected.
Today's announcement
is one of many actions that the Government
of Canada is taking to protect the environment
and Canadians. The Government of Canada
continues to take action on harmful chemicals
under the Chemicals Management Plan, and
has introduced tougher food and product
safety legislation.
For more information on the PBDEs Regulations
and further actions to manage PBDEs, please
visit our website at www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
