OTTAWA, Ont. – October
10, 2013 – The Government of Canada today
signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury,
a global agreement to reduce mercury emissions
and releases to the environment. The Convention
is a legally-binding treaty negotiated under
the auspices of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP). Its primary objective
is to protect human health and the environment
from human sources of emissions and releases
of mercury and mercury compounds.
“Signing this treaty
reinforces Canada’s commitment to protecting
the Arctic ecosystem, the health of our
indigenous peoples, Northerners and the
global population,” said the Honourable
Leona Aglukkaq, Canada’s Environment Minister,
Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic
Development Agency and Minister for the
Arctic Council. “The Government of Canada
actively participated in all five intergovernmental
sessions to negotiate a strong treaty to
reduce major sources of global mercury emissions
that present risks to Canadians and their
environment.”
“I am very proud that,
because of the federal government's support,
a representative of the Inuit Circumpolar
Council was part of the Canadian delegation
and played an important role in these negotiations
in raising northern Indigenous Peoples'
health as a serious issue,” said the Honourable
Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal
Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
As an Arctic country,
Canada is one of the main beneficiaries
of this agreement. While Canada has reduced
its own mercury emissions by over 90% in
the last forty years, more must be done
to protect the health of Canadians and their
environment. Over 95% of the mercury deposited
in Canada from human activity comes from
foreign sources.
The Convention addresses
all aspects of the life-cycle of mercury,
including providing controls and reductions
across a range of products, processes and
industries where mercury is used, released
or emitted. The pace of mercury reductions
will depend on a number of factors, including
which countries ratify the treaty, how many
ratify (50 required for entry into force)
and what actions the Parties to the treaty
decide to take.
At their meeting in
Sweden in May 2013, the Ministers of the
Arctic Council welcomed the Minamata Convention
on Mercury, noting the particular vulnerabilities
of Arctic ecosystems and indigenous communities,
and encouraged the treaty’s swift entry
into force.
The Convention was opened
to countries for signature during a Diplomatic
Conference being held in Kumamoto, Japan,
on October 10-11, 2013, and will remain
open in New York until October 8, 2014.
Jennifer Kennedy
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ Mais
Chinook Fuels Ltd. Sentenced
to Pay $60,000 for Offences under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999
FORT McMURRAY, Alta.
– October 24, 2013 – Chinook Fuels Ltd,
of Fort McMurray, Alberta, was sentenced
on Friday, October 18, to pay $60,000 in
Alberta Provincial Court to the Environmental
Damages Fund for offences under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The
company pleaded guilty to the transfer of
petroleum products into unregistered tanks,
failure to register tanks with Environment
Canada, and failure to have tanks installed
by a party approved to do so in the Province
of Alberta.
Under the law, a person
must not transfer petroleum products into
storage tank systems on federally regulated
land unless the systems display identification
numbers issued by Environment Canada. This
is designed to stop the delivery of fuel
to unidentified tanks, thus compelling the
owners to register their tanks with Environment
Canada so that inspections can be conducted.
Under this act, owners of storage tank systems
that are in use must ensure that they have
been identified to the Minister of Environment,
display the identification number prior
to operation, and are installed by an approved
person or professional engineer.
Environment Canada enforcement
personnel conduct inspections and investigations
under a number of Acts and Regulations including
the Canadian Environmental Protection Act,
1999. They help ensure that companies, governmental
entities as well as their respective officials
and the general public comply with legislation
and regulations that protect Canada's environment.
The Environmental Damages
Fund, which is administered by Environment
Canada, was created in 1995 to provide a
mechanism for directing funds received as
a result of fines, court orders and voluntary
payments for the repair of the actual harm
done to the environme
Environment Canada has
created a subscription service to help the
Canadians stay current with what the Government
of Canada is doing to protect our natural
environment. Subscribing to Environment
Canada’s Enforcement Notifications is easy,
and free. Sign up today.
