OTTAWA, Ont. -- February
16, 2010 -- Environment Canada invites Canadians
aged of 9 to 35 years to celebrate the 2010
International Year
of Biodiversity by participating in the
Nature Matters! Contest.
Biological diversity
is the variety and abundance of life on
Earth. To help raise awareness of the importance
of biodiversity all over the world, the
United Nations General Assembly declared
that 2010 will be the International Year
of Biodiversity. Environment Canada is celebrating
this, in part, with the national Nature
Matters! Contest.
Until February 28, 2010,
Canadians between the ages of 9 and 35 years
are invited to submit written or video essays
that answer the following question:
"Why is nature
important to you?"
One grand prize winner and two runners up
will be selected from each age group (9-13
years, 14-19 years and 20-35) in each of
the two categories - video and written:
•Grand prize winners
will be invited to Ottawa to attend the
Grand Re-opening Event of the Canadian Museum
of Nature on the International Day for Biological
Diversity, May 22, 2010, where their achievement
will be announced.
•Grand prize winning essays will be enlarged
to poster size and displayed in public art
panels outside Environment Canada's environmental
museum, The Biosphère in Montreal.
•Grand prize winning video essays will be
projected for Canadian and international
visitors at The Biosphère in Montreal
during 2010.
•Grand prize winning and runner-up essays
will be published on the website of the
Canadian Biodiversity Information Network,
a shared public resource of our Federal,
Provincial, and Territorial governments.
•Grand prize winning and runner-up essays
will be announced through Environment Canada's
network of national education and environment
organizations, reaching well over one million
people.
The contest is open to Canadian citizens
or permanent residents of Canada only, submissions
will be accepted in either French or English.
For full contest details, please visit the
web site, at
http://www.cbin.ec.gc.ca/nature/concours-contest.cfm?lang=eng.
For more information, please contact:
Media Relations
Environment Canada
+ More
Mr. Willoughby Bolt
to Pay $15,000 Penalty for Violating the
Federal Fisheries Act
GRAND BANK, N.L. --
February 11, 2010 -- A Grand Bank, N.L.
resident was ordered to pay a fine of $15,000
at a sentencing hearing in Newfoundland
and Labrador provincial court in Grand Bank
on February 8, 2010 for violating the federal
Fisheries Act.
Willouhghby Bolt pleaded
guilty to violating section 36(3) of the
Act by releasing diesel fuel, a substance
deleterious to fish, into English Harbour
East during the refuelling of a vessel on
May 10, 2008. He also pleaded guilty to
violating section 38 (4) of the Act by failing
to report the diesel oil spill.
On May 10, 2008, Environment
Canada was notified by the Canadian Coast
Guard of a release of diesel fuel into the
waters of English Harbour East from a tank
in a pick-up truck at a wharf operated by
Small Craft Harbours. Environment Canada
launched an investigation into the incident,
and subsequently laid charges against Bolt
on July 30, 2009.
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.
For more information, please contact:
Media Relations
Environment Canada
+ More
Government of Canada
works to protect Canada's water through
wastewater regulations
BROCKVILLE, Ont. --
February 9, 2010 -- Canada's Environment
Minister, Jim Prentice today announced that
a draft of proposed municipal wastewater
systems effluent regulations is now available
for public consultation. Once in force,
these regulations will set standards for
the discharge from all wastewater facilities
in Canada. Over time, wastewater facilities
across the country will have to meet these
national standards. It will no longer be
permitted to directly release raw sewage
into our waterways.
"Today we are taking
action to protect our environment for future
generations," said Minister Prentice,
"It is not acceptable that we continue
discharging untreated waste into our water
ways."
When finalized the regulations
will be a key component in implementing
the Canada-wide Strategy for the Management
of Municipal Wastewater that was endorsed
by the Canadian Council of Minister of the
Environment (CCME) in 2009.
"With new municipal
wastewater regulations in development, and
our ongoing commitments under the Action
Plan for Clean Water, the Government of
Canada is taking concrete steps to make
sure that Canadians continue to enjoy water
that is clean, safe and plentiful for generations
to come. We are committed to continue working
together with provinces, territories and
municipalities to make this a reality,"
said Minister Prentice.
The proposed municipal
wastewater regulations will provide national
performance standards and give regulatory
clarity on standards and rules on reporting
for more than 4,000 Canadian wastewater
facilities.
The Government of Canada
has supported wastewater projects under
the Green Infrastructure Fund and Building
Canada Fund. Canada's Economic Action Plan
accelerated and expanded the existing $33-billion
federal investment in infrastructure with
almost $12 billion in new infrastructure
stimulus funding across Canada over two
years.
Canadians can now access
the draft of the proposed regulations through
Environment Canada's public inquiry centre
at 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only), 819-997-2800
or enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca.
Related documents:
Environment Canada Makes Available Public
Consultation Draft of the Proposed Municipal
Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations
[Backgrounder - 2010-02-09]
For more information, please contact:
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
