OTTAWA, Ont. -- April
7, 2010 -- Canada's Environment Minister,
Jim Prentice, announced today the 2010-2011
funding for the Government
of Canada's Atlantic Coastal Action Program
(ACAP) and the transition of the ACAP to
an ecosystem-based model of environmental
management.
"I am pleased to
announce that the member organizations of
the Atlantic Coastal Action Program will
receive funding for the 2010-2011 fiscal
year to transition this valuable program
towards a more inclusive, ecosystem-based
approach to environmental management,"
said Minister Prentice. "This funding
will allow us to focus on the issues and
the areas that are most in need of intervention,
as well as offer the greatest environmental
benefits to Atlantic Canadians."
While the total funding
in 2010-2011 for conservation for the Atlantic
Region will remain the same, some adjustments
have been made to this valuable Program
in this transition year to bring it in-line
with the identification of other priority
ecosystems across Canada. As a result, a
focus will be placed on the issues of water
quality, habitat and biodiversity loss and
climate change impacts.
Each of the Atlantic
Coastal Action Program organizations will
be advised of their funding for 2010-2011
in the near future.
The Atlantic Coastal
Action Program (ACAP) is a unique community-based
program initiated by Environment Canada
to help Atlantic Canadians restore and sustain
local watersheds and adjacent coastal areas.
It is funded through Environment Canada's
ongoing program funding. ACAP is being transitioned
to an ecosystem-based approach to environmental
management which plans for, and encompasses,
the impact of taking action at an environmental,
economic and social level.
The Government of Canada
is working to ensure that Canadian ecosystems
are healthy, prosperous and sustainable
for present and future generations.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Canadian Appointed to
Advisory Committee of Canada-US-Mexico Commission
for Environmental Cooperation
OTTAWA, Ont. -- April
7, 2010 -- The Honourable Jim Prentice,
Minister of the Environment, today announced
the appointment of Linda Angove to the Joint
Public Advisory Committee (JPAC) of the
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
(CEC). Ms. Angove's appointment is effective
April 1, 2010.
"I am proud to
announce the appointment of Ms. Angove to
this important tri-national public advisory
body," said Minister Prentice. "I'm
confident that Ms. Angove's wealth of experience
with organizations promoting public dialogue
on key national issues will play an important
role in ensuring active Canadian public
participation and transparency in the work
of the CEC."
Ms. Angove will replace
the Honourable David Emerson, one of the
five current Canadian members of the JPAC.
"I would like to
thank Mr. Emerson for his contributions
to the committee and commend him for his
achievements and service to Canadians during
his tenure," said Minister Prentice.
JPAC - composed of 15
citizens equally representing Canada, the
United States and Mexico - serves as an
advisory body to the Environment Ministers
of Canada, the United Stated and Mexico,
and as a mechanism for the Ministers to
hear public views on environmental issues
of continental importance.
The CEC is an international
organization created by Canada, Mexico and
the United Stated under the North American
Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).
The CEC was established to address regional
environmental concerns, help prevent potential
trade and environmental conflicts, and to
promote the effective enforcement of environmental
law. The Agreement complements the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The
CEC's secretariat is located in Montreal,
Quebec.
For more information about the CEC, visit:
www.cec.org.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Canada and the United
States Announce Common Standards for Regulating
GHG Emissions from New Vehicles
OTTAWA, Ont. -- April
1, 2010 -- The Government of Canada today
released tough new proposed regulations
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from
new vehicles and which would harmonize with
the mandatory national standards of the
United States beginning with the 2011 model
year. Today's release of the proposed Passenger
Automobile and Light Truck Greenhouse Gas
Emission Regulations is the next step in
the process that was announced by Environment
Minister Jim Prentice in April 2009.
"Since last May,
we've been working with the United States
to put in place tough North American standards
for regulating greenhouse gas emissions
from new vehicles," said Minister Prentice.
"We are pleased to be taking this step
to further harmonize our climate change
action with the Obama administration - a
step that will protect our environment and
ensure a level playing field for the automotive
industry."
These new regulations
would deliver certainty to the automotive
industry and will require significant technological
improvements to vehicles to reduce GHG emissions.
As a result of the proposed regulations,
it is projected that the average GHG emission
performance of new vehicles of the 2016
model year will be about 25% lower than
the vehicles that were sold in Canada in
2008. These improvements are expected to
result in a cumulative reduction of 92 Mt
CO2e in GHG emissions over the lifetime
of the 2011-2016 model year vehicles sold
in Canada.
Early draft regulations
were released in December 2009 for consultations
with provinces, territories and stakeholders.
Their views have been taken into account
in the development of the proposed regulations
that were posted today at www.ec.gc.ca/vehicle-regs
and will be published in the Gazette April
17, 2010. Following a 60-day formal public
comment period, final regulations are expected
to be published in the Canada Gazette Part
II in the summer of 2010 and to come into
effect for the 2011 model year.
Canada is committed
to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions
17% from 2005 levels by 2020, a target which
reflects the importance of aligning with
US policy. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from new motor vehicles will play an important
role in helping us achieve that goal. Cars
and light trucks account for about 12% of
Canada's total GHG emissions.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
