OTTAWA, Ont. – September
21, 2012 – Environment Canada wildlife enforcement
officers launched a coordinated series of
interprovincial and international border
inspections in the summer of 2012 to look
for evidence of illegal hunting of black
bear and other species. The operation took
place in 29 locations throughout Canada.
Over 700 hunters and
125 fishermen were inspected while travelling
between provinces or leaving the country.
The inspections resulted in 79 infractions.
Of these, 44 were related to black bears
while 35 involved other species of wildlife.
Of note, officers issued
54 contraventions, 25 warnings and confiscated
9 bear carcasses. Various animal parts were
also confiscated, including skulls, bear
and seal meat, a liver, bacula and eagle
parts. Additional species inspected during
the operation included wolf, bison, beaver,
duck, mountain lion, deer and fish.
The operation was coordinated
with provincial government departments responsible
for wildlife enforcement, Canada Border
Services Agency, the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service, as well as the United
States Customs and Border Protection.
While the operation
targeted unlawful exports of all Canadian
species, particular attention was given
to the export of black bear. Canada has
one of the world's last remaining healthy
populations of bear, which is protected
under the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna. Hunting, harvesting and trade are
strictly regulated by provincial and federal
governments so that bear species continue
to thrive in Canada.
+ More
United States and Canada
Sign Amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
Agreement will protect
the health of the largest freshwater system
in the world
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- September 7, 2012 --
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Canada’s
Minister of the Environment Peter Kent today
signed the newly amended Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement at a formal ceremony in
Washington, D.C. First signed in 1972 and
last amended in 1987, the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement is a model of binational
cooperation to protect the world’s largest
surface freshwater system and the health
of the surrounding communities.
“Protecting cherished
water bodies like the Great Lakes is not
only about environmental conservation. It’s
also about protecting the health of the
families--and the economies--of the local
communities that depend on those water bodies
for so much, every day,” said Lisa P. Jackson.
“The amended Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
we signed today outlines the strong commitment
the U.S. and Canada share to safeguard the
largest freshwater system in the world.
Our collaborative efforts stand to benefit
millions of families on both sides of the
border.”
“Joint stewardship of
the Great Lakes--a treasured natural resource,
a critical source of drinking water, essential
to transportation, and the foundation for
billions of dollars in trade, agriculture,
recreation and other sectors--is a cornerstone
of the Canada-United States relationship,”
said Minister Kent. “The Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement supports our shared responsibility
to restore and protect this critical resource,
and builds on 40 years of binational success.”
The revised Agreement
will facilitate United States and Canadian
action on threats to Great Lakes water quality
and includes strengthened measures to anticipate
and prevent ecological harm. New provisions
address aquatic invasive species, habitat
degradation and the effects of climate change,
and support continued work on existing threats
to people’s health and the environment in
the Great Lakes Basin such as harmful algae,
toxic chemicals, and discharges from vessels.
The overall purpose
of the Agreement is “to restore and maintain
the chemical, physical and biological integrity
of the waters” of the Great Lakes and the
portion of the St. Lawrence River that includes
the Canada-United States border. Both governments
sought extensive input from stakeholders
before and throughout the negotiations to
amend the Agreement. Additionally, the amended
Agreement expands opportunities for public
participation on Great Lakes issues.
The amended Agreement
sets out a shared vision for a healthy and
prosperous Great Lakes region, in which
the waters of the Great Lakes enhance the
livelihoods of present and future generations
of Americans and Canadians.
+ More
J&A Health Food
International Ltd. Sentenced for Illegal
Importation of Plant Species
RICHMOND, B.C. -- September
25, 2012 -- J&A Health Food International
Ltd. pleaded guilty and was sentenced in
Richmond Provincial court on September 11th
on three counts for offences under the Wild
Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation
of International and Interprovincial Trade
Act (WAPPRIITA).
The company received
penalties of $45,000 for importing without
a permit wild American ginseng roots and
orchid species (Dendrobium spp) used in
traditional Asian medicines. Both species
are listed under the Convention on the International
Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna
and Flora (CITES). Sentencing included forfeiture
of approximately 19 kg of ginseng (wild
and cultivated) and approximately 5 kg of
orchids.
The $45,000 penalties
are broken down into a fine of $2,500 for
each of the three counts under WAPPRIITA
subsection 6(2), $7,500 to be directed to
the Environmental Damages Fund, and $30,000
awarded directly to TRAFFIC, a wildlife
trade monitoring network which works to
ensure that trade in wild plants and animals
is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
On January 28, 2010,
Environment Canada wildlife officers discovered
several bags of wild American ginseng roots
hidden amongst a shipment of permitted ginseng
roots. Further inspection revealed several
bags of orchids. Both species were of high
value, and neither was declared to the Canada
Border Services Agency.
The CITES is an international
agreement to regulate trade in specific
species of wild animals and plants, as well
as their respective parts and derivatives.
WAPPRIITA is the legislation used to implement
CITES in Canada.
The Environmental Damages
Fund is administered by Environment Canada,
and was created in 1995 to provide a mechanism
for directing funds received as a result
of fines, court orders, and voluntary payments
to priority projects that will benefit our
natural environment.
To learn more about
CITES and the Environmental Damages Fund,
visit http://www.cites.ec.gc.ca and http://www.ec.gc.ca/edf-fde/.
Environment Canada has
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public stay current with what the Government
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