QUÉBEC CITY,
Que -- April 16, 2010 -- Environment Canada
invites you to the Cap Tourmente National
Wildlife Area starting Saturday, April 17,
to witness the passage of the Greater snow
Goose. Thousands of geese in search of food
will be invading one of the largest bulrush
marshes in the Americas for a migratory
stop, providing for a fascinating display.
It is also a period of abundance for an
entire array of birds present on the territory.
Impassioned naturalist
guides are inviting you up to the Bois-sent-bon
trail observation platform to help locate
Greater Snow Geese marked with a coloured
necklace and thereby help in the scientific
monitoring program for this unique population
in the world. Come speak to them and gain
a better understanding of this great traveller.
Extend your stay in the wildlife area and
take advantage, along with family or friends,
of the 20-km network of walking trails,
some of which offer an extraordinary view
of the St. Lawrence.
Naturalists are asking
the public to take action to protect habitats,
wildlife species and species at risk. Mark
these two following events on your calendar:
on 8 May, the National Wildlife Area will
be participating in the 24 hours of science,
a Quebec science and technology event with
the theme "At the Heart of Biodiversity"
and, on 22 May, there will be a special
event to mark International Day of Biological
Diversity.
The Cap Tourmente National
Wildlife Area will be opening on 17 April
this year. The gates will be open from 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The entry fee is $6.00
for adults and $5.00 for students. Children
under 12 accompanied by a parent enter for
free. Telescopes and a binocular rental
service are available onsite to make observation
easier. For more information on the activities
and services offered, call 418-827-4591
or e-mail the park at cap.tourmente@ec.gc.ca.
The Cap Tourmente National
Wildlife Area is part of a network of 51
protected areas across Canada aiming to
protect critical habitats for wildlife species,
some of which are at risk.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Government of Canada
Celebrates Restoration of Healthy Ecosystem
at Wheatley Harbour
WHEATLEY, Ont. -- April
16, 2010 -- Wheatley Harbour is once again
a clean and healthy aquatic ecosystem, announced
Dave Van Kesteren, Member of Parliament
for Chatham-Kent-Essex. Mr. Van Kesteren
made the announcement today, on behalf of
Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable
Jim Prentice, while celebrating the achievement
of Lake Erie's Wheatley Harbour removal
from the list of environmental hotspots
on the Great Lakes.
"Thanks to the
hard work of all partners involved, Wheatley
Harbour is now a great example of industry
and environment in balance." said Mr.
Van Kesteren. "It shows what can be
accomplished when partners work together
toward a common goal."
The restoration of water
quality in Wheatley Harbour is an outcome
of Canada's Great Lakes Action Plan. Through
the Plan, the Government of Canada is working
to restore and protect water quality and
the health of the aquatic ecosystem in the
Canadian Areas of Concern on the Great Lakes.
"We are very proud
of what has been accomplished at Wheatley
Harbour. Restoration of water quality and
ecosystem health in Wheatley Harbour is
incredibly important to its continued sustainability
as a centre for the Lake Erie fishery and
regional food processing." said Minister
Prentice.
Wheatley Harbour was
designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern
in 1985 pursuant to the Canada-United States
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The
major environmental concerns were historical
sources of PCBs, contaminated sediments,
high phosphorus concentrations, poor water
clarity, bacterial contamination, and habitat
loss.
Through federal and
provincial action completed in 2008, conditions
in Wheatley Harbour have improved considerably.
"This is a major
milestone for the Great Lakes. Wheatley
Harbour is the fourth Area of Concern to
be removed from the list of Great Lakes
environmental hotspots. Three of those are
in Canada. It means our work is paying off.
As we celebrate our success we must remember
that Great Lakes environmental protection
is not a one time effort, it's a lifetime
effort. And we all need to continue to do
our part to protect our Great Lakes"said
John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of the
Environment.
As part of Environment
Canada's ongoing commitment to water quality
in the Great Lakes, the Government of Canada
is proud to have committed $16 million in
its latest budget to protect and restore
the Great Lakes and ensure clean water for
Canadians.
Last month, the Canada-Ontario
AgreementRespecting the Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem was extended until March 31, 2011.
This agreement establishes an action plan
between federal and provincial ministries,
and helps Canada to meet its commitments
under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The governments of Canada and the U.S. are
currently negotiating amendments to this
agreement to address current and emerging
issues that are impacting the Great Lakes.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Government of Canada
Invests in Research for Next Generation
Green Buildings
KELOWNA, B.C. -- April
16, 2010 -- The Government of Canada is
investing in research that will help to
reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced
through building construction, announced
the Honourable Ron Cannan, Member of Parliament
for Kelowna-Lake Country, on behalf of the
Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the
Environment. The green building design project
aims to reduce 75 percent of GHG emissions
from the heating, cooling and construction
of buildings, and is being delivered through
the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) funding
for a project led by the Okanagan Science
& Technology Council (OSTEC) in partnership
with Okanagan College.
"Developing next
generation green buildings that generate
more energy than they consume, and absorb
more greenhouse gases than they emit is
a very exciting project which the Government
of Canada is pleased to support," said
MP Cannan. "Investing in research and
the development and demonstration of transformational
clean energy technologies is one of Canada's
key commitments under the Copenhagen Accord."
Canada's APP funding
of $500,000 for this project represents
50 percent of the total cost. The remaining
half of the funding will be contributed
by Okanagan College and its partners. Funding
for this project is part of an $8.4 million
investment in APP projects announced by
Prime Minister Stephen Harper on December
4, 2009, in Shanghai, China.
"The Government
of Canada's investment in this project is
welcome," said Jason Richards, OSTEC
President. "High tech and green buildings
go hand in hand, and this project will enhance
our understanding and capacity in this area.
We're pleased to work with Environment Canada
and with Okanagan College, which is demonstrating
leadership on this front already."
"Taking a different,
more sustainable approach to building is
critical to developing a changed economy,"
said Jim Hamilton, President, Okanagan College.
"We've recognized that as an institution,
and welcome the support from OSTEC and the
federal government in developing the information
and skills base that will facilitate change
in Canada and across the Asia Pacific region,"
Canada's participation
in the APP supports its commitment to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from
2005 levels by 2020, a target Canada recently
inscribed in the Copenhagen Accord and which
also reflects the importance of aligning
with the US. Canada will continue to work
constructively in 2010 to implement the
Accord and to complete the negotiations
for a comprehensive, legally binding post-2012
agreement.
The APP is an innovative
public-private partnership to accelerate
the development and deployment of clean
energy technologies to meet goals for energy
security, national air pollution reduction,
and climate change in ways that promote
sustainable economic growth and poverty
reduction. Seven countries participate in
the APP: Canada, Australia, China, India,
Japan, South Korea, and the United States.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
