Richmond
-- February 18, 2009 -- On February 17,
2009, Wing Quon Enterprises Ltd. of Richmond,
BC received a $45,000.00 fine after pleading
guilty in Richmond Provincial Court to illegally
possessing medicines containing tiger parts
for the purpose of selling or offering for
sale.
The company was also
ordered to forfeit medicines and products
seized as part of the investigation. The
medicines and products were made from some
of the rarest species on the planet, namely
tiger, costus root, agarwood, bear, pangolin,
musk deer, and rhinoceros. All of these
are protected species listed under the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The penalty imposed
in this case reflects the level of endangerment
of the species concerned as well as the
commercial quantities involved. This is
the first conviction in Canada under the
Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation
of International and Interprovincial Trade
Act (WAPPRIITA), for the offence of possessing
tiger, one of the world's rarest protected
species, for the purpose of selling or offering
to sell it.
The total fine of $45,000
includes $40,000 that will be directed to
the Traffic wildlife trade-monitoring program
of WWF. Traffic, a joint program of WWF
and the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, is dedicated to ensuring that
trade in wild plants and animals is not
a threat to the conservation of nature.
The program is carried out in close co-operation
with the Secretariat of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
CITES is an international
agreement to regulate trade in specific
species of wild animals and plants, as well
as their respective parts and derivatives.
Environment Canada is the lead agency responsible
for CITES implementation in Canada. WAPPRIITA
is the legislation used to implement CITES
in Canada. Further information on CITES
and WAPPRIITA may be found at www.cites.ec.gc.ca.
Environment Canada
Media Relations
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Explore the North and
Get in Green Gear During Spring Break at
the Biosphère
MONTRÉAL, Qc
-- February 17, 2009 -- For spring break
from February 28 to March 8, 2009, Environment
Canada's Biosphère will feature programming
that is sure to entertain the entire family.
The special activities will include many
modules on the theme of the Far North, the
theatrical presentation 3Rcadabra! with
its clown magician and Get in Green Gear,
an exhibition on sustainable transportation.
During the spring break period, admission
at the Biosphère will be free for
all only for this week and the museum will
be exceptionally open on Monday March 2.
Explore the North by
participating in several activities and
discovering various modules: an Inuit inukshuk,
a giant map of the polar region, a model
of an iceberg, the outdoor Polaris Expedition
rally and the outdoor exhibition Arctic:
Walking on Thin Ice featuring 40 giant photos.
As a souvenir of their visit, families will
be able to have their photo taken in a kayak
in front of an iceberg!
The theatrical presentation
3Rcadabra features a clown playing a magician
who makes the enormous pile of waste we
produce disappear. With its interactive
and entertaining approach, this show will
raise public awareness of good waste management,
the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), and other
practical actions that we can take every
day.
Covering approximately
80 square metres, the giant three-dimensional
game, Get in Green Gear, encourages players
to use their knowledge, imagination and
skill. The route includes several stations
where participants can discover green transportation
alternatives in a fun way. Visitors will
also learn more about the new national vehicle
scrappage program, Retire Your Ride. During
spring break, regular programming and permanent
exhibitions will continue to be offered.
For more information, please visit: www.biosphere.ec.gc.ca.
Medias Relations, Environment Canada
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Government of Canada
Releases Draft Risk Assessments for Substances
Included in Batch 5 of the Chemical Management
Plan
February 20, 2009 -
Backgrounder: Backgrounder on Batch 5 of
the Chemicals Management Plan - OTTAWA -
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister
of Health, and Canada's Environment Minister,
the Honourable Jim Prentice, today announced
the release of the draft screening assessments
and risk management scope documents for
19 chemical substances included in Batch
5 of the Chemicals Management Plan.
"The Government
of Canada is committed to ensuring the safe
management of chemical substances, which
is why we launched the Chemicals Management
Plan in 2006," said Minister Aglukkaq.
"With the release of the draft risk
assessments for these 19 substances, we
are taking another important step to further
protect the health of Canadians."
"We are working
hard to meet the timelines we laid out for
addressing chemical substances," said
Minister Prentice. "We are committed
to studying these substances and gathering
the best information available to ensure
that we deal with any risks they pose responsibly."
Of the 19 substances
included in Batch 5, two substances are
proposed to be of concern to human health
(Acrylamide and TCEP (Tris(2-chloroethyl))
phosphate). Current information indicates
that the remaining 17 substances are of
no concern to human health or the environment.
Of these remaining 17
substances, one is no longer used in Canada
(Disperse Orange 5) and one is used primarily
as a pesticide (Chloroacetamide) and this
use will be discontinued later this year.
Significant New Activity provisions are
being proposed to manage the risks associated
with these two substances. These provisions
will prevent these substances from being
used in the future without undergoing a
new series of assessments.
Notices containing summaries
of the draft screening assessment reports
will be published in Canada Gazette, Part
I on February 21, 2009. The complete draft
screening assessments as well as risk management
documents for all Batch 5 substances can
be found on the Chemicals Management Plan
website. Interested parties can submit comments
on these documents until April 22, 2009.
The Government of Canada
is committed to meeting the five-year timeline
that was announced in 2006 for completion
of work under the Chemicals Management Plan.
The original sequence of batches outlined
for Challenge substances will be continued
and the regular spacing between releases
of information will also continue to allow
stakeholders enough time to review and analyze
the information. All associated dates will
be updated on the website.
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Government of Canada
announces additional projects to Clean-up
Lake Simcoe
Barrie, ON -- February
27, 2009 -- Canada’s Environment Minister
Jim Prentice, joined by the Honourable Peter
Van Loan, Minister of Public Safety, and
local member of Parliament Patrick Brown,announced
today the second group of projects under
the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund.
“We're investing in
projects that will help to ensure a healthy
future for Lake Simcoe. The lake is a key
part of Canada's natural environment, and
is also an important resource that provides
safe drinking water for eight municipalities
and generates more than $200 million a year
for the local economy through recreational
activities,” said Environment Minister Jim
Prentice.
Initiatives funded by
the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund are designed
to preserve and protect the environment
of Lake Simcoe. Twenty-six projects will
receive a total of $4,732,031 as 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.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
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Irving Pulp & Paper
Limited Pleads Guilty and Sentenced to Pay
a $37,000 Penalty for Charges Laid Under
the Federal Fisheries Act
SAINT JOHN, NB. -- February
13, 2009 -- Today Irving Pulp & Paper
Limited pleaded guilty in New Brunswick
provincial court to charges laid by Environment
Canada under subsection 36(3) of the federal
Fisheries Act. The company was sentenced
to pay a $37,000 penalty for contravening
the Act by releasing black liquor, a by-product
of the pulp and paper process that is deleterious
to fish, into the Saint John river on February
8, 2007.
The court assessed a
payment of $30,000 from the penalty to the
ACAP Saint John organization. ACAP Saint
John is a community-based non-profit organization
that encourages local involvement from all
sectors of the Saint John community. The
two primary goals of ACAP Saint John are
to work with the community to improve the
environmental health and integrity of the
Saint John harbour and its estuaries, and
to respond to the growing demand from the
public to be more involved in environmental
decision making. The remaining $7,000 constitutes
a fine paid to the court.
On February 8, 2007,
as required by the national Pulp and Paper
Effluent Regulations, Irving Pulp &
Paper Limited advised Environment Canada
about the release of the black liquor. Subsequently
charges were laid against the company in
October 2008 after an investigation by Environment
Canada's Atlantic Region Enforcement Branch
determined that effluent samples from the
plant were highly alkaline and deleterious
to fish.
Environment Canada investigates
offences under the pollution prevention
provisions of the federal Fisheries Act
and the Canadian Environmental Protection
Act, 1999. The Department ensures that businesses
and individuals comply with these Acts which
serve to protect Canada's environment.
Media Relations
Environment Canada
