AMHERSTBURG, Ont.--
August 25, 2011 -- On behalf of the Honourable
Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister
and Minister responsible for Parks Canada,
Jeff Watson, Member of Parliament for Essex
today announced the Nature Conservancy of
Canada's and Essex Region Conservation Authority's
successful acquisition of the Mitchell Woods
and the Botsford Woods properties - 31 hectares
of land in the Town of Amherstburg in Essex
County, Ontario. This project was secured
in part with funding from Environment Canada's
Natural Areas Conservation Program.
"The Government
of Canada is very pleased to be working
with dedicated partners, such as the Nature
Conservancy of Canada, for the long-term
conservation of the biological diversity
of Canada's natural treasures," said
Mr. Watson. "The Mitchell Woods property
and the Botsford Woods property, both part
of the Canard River Conservation Area, represent
ecologically significant areas that are
home to important plant and animal species
at risk, including Kentucky Coffee trees."
The riparian forest
along the Canard River contains the longest
stretch of continuous woodland in Essex
County.
"This acquisition
marks another achievement under our government's
Natural Areas Conservation Program. With
this investment, we are taking real action
to protect and conserve our ecosystems and
sensitive species for present and future
generations," said Minister Kent. "Your
actions today will help to protect the abundance
and variety of life that will constitute
an integral part of our natural heritage
tomorrow."
"These projects
are the result of incredible partnerships
with the Government of Canada and Essex
Region Conservation Authority," said
Chris Maher, Ontario Regional Vice President
for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. "Together
we have built a strong conservation legacy
in Essex County."
The Government of Canada's
$225-million Natural Areas Conservation
Program is an important on-the-ground initiative
that takes real action to preserve Canada's
environment and conserve its precious natural
heritage for present and future generations.
As of March 2011, the Natural Areas Conservation
Program has protected 160,796 hectares of
habitat, which includes habitat for 101
species at risk. It is through the ongoing
contribution from all donors that we can
ensure the protection of natural areas in
Canada.
Melissa Lantsman
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Canada's Environment
Minister Announces Important Step Towards
Reducing Electricity Sector Emissions
Saskatchewan -- August
19, 2011 -- Today, Canada's Environment
Minister Peter Kent announced that the Government
of Canada is moving forward with Regulations
for the coal-fired electricity sector.
"Our strategy to
lower our emissions is based on making improvements
sector by sector to sustain our economy
and protect our environment," said
Minister Kent. "We are taking action
in the electricity sector because we recognize
the potential for significant emissions
reductions. We are committed to build on
our strength in the electricity sector and
to lead the world in clean electricity generation."
These proposed Regulations
will apply a stringent performance standard
to new coal-fired electricity generation
units and those coal-fired units that have
reached the end of their economic life.
This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and improve air quality for all Canadians
for generations to come.
The gradual phase-out
of traditional coal-fired electricity generation
is expected to have a significant impact
on reducing emissions. The proposed regulations,
in addition to other measures taken by federal
and provincial governments and utilities
to reduce electricity emissions from coal
and other sources, are projected to result
in a decline in the absolute level of GHG
emissions from electricity generation.
The Government first
announced its intention to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in the electricity sector
on June 23, 2010. Since then, consultations
have been ongoing with key stakeholders
to inform the development of the proposed
Regulations. These regulations will be published
in the Canada Gazette Part I on August 27
for a 60-day public consultation period.
Final Regulations are
expected to be published in 2012, and regulations
are scheduled to come into effect on July
1, 2015.
The Government of Canada
is making progress towards our ambitious
target of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions
17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020 through
a sector-by-sector approach aligned with
the U.S.
+ More
Canada Working to Address
Emissions from Heavy-duty Vehicles
OTTAWA, Ont. -- August
9, 2011 -- Today, the Honorable Peter Kent,
Canada's Environment Minister, released
a consultation paper on the development
of proposed regulations to limit greenhouse
gas emissions from new on-road heavy-duty
vehicles. Canada and the United States are
taking a common North American approach
and Canada intends to implement regulations
with the 2014 model year in alignment with
the United States.
"We are moving
forward with our sector by sector approach
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in coordination
with the United States," said Minister
Kent. "Building on our successful collaboration
with the United States on the development
of common North American standards for light-duty
vehicles, we are also working together to
do the same for heavy-duty vehicles."
This consultation paper
is intended to provide another opportunity
for interested parties to submit early comments
prior to publishing proposed regulations
in Canada Gazette Part I. Proposed regulations
are targeted for publication in Canada Gazette
Part I early in 2012 for a 60-day comment
period.
The proposed regulations
would seek to reduce emissions and improve
the fuel efficiency of the whole range of
new on-road heavy-duty vehicles from full-size
pick-up trucks to tractor-trailers, and
include a wide variety of vocational vehicles
such as freight, delivery, service, cement,
garbage and dump trucks, as well as buses.
The proposed regulations would also seek
to promote the implementation of advanced
technology vehicles such as hybrid and electric
vehicles.
Reducing emissions in
the transportation sector is a key component
in the Government's plan to reduce total
greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from
2005 levels by 2020. In addition to the
proposed heavy-duty regulations, the Government
has also finalized regulations to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions from passenger
vehicles and mandated a requirement for
an average of five percent renewable content
in gasoline, and two percent content for
diesel and heating oil.
