OTTAWA, April 22, 2007
– The Honourable John Baird, Minister of
the Environment, joined by Michael Rosen,
President of Tree Canada celebrated Earth
Day today with students, parents and teachers
of Lakeview Public School by planting new
trees in the school yard.
“Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect
and be proud of what we’ve accomplished
and to think about how we can all continue
to work to protect our environment,” said
Minister Baird. “The trees we planted here
today are a great example of a concrete
action that all Canadians can take, right
in their own backyard, to help improve the
air we breathe.”
According to Tree Canada, a not-for-profit
organization that encourages Canadians to
plant and care for trees, an average Canadian
tree will capture between 200 and 225 kg
of carbon over an 80-year period.
“Tree Canada is most pleased to be celebrating
Earth Day, and to be part of this school
ground greening initiative. Schoolyards
have always been a top priority for us,
because by greening them we provide our
children with exciting natural spaces for
learning and playing”, says Michael Rosen,
President of Tree Canada.
Minister Baird took the opportunity to
encourage Canadians to get involved in fighting
climate change at home and to teach their
children about the importance of clean air.
“Canada’s New Government is serious about
tackling climate change and protecting the
air we breathe, but we know we can’t do
it alone,” said Baird. “Taking steps at
home and teaching our children to protect
the environment will be the key to securing
a healthier future for all Canadians.”
Canada’s New Government’s comprehensive
environmental agenda, which totals $9 billion,
includes financial incentives to drive environmentally-friendly
vehicles, a tax break for public transit
users, support for the growth of renewable
energy sources like wind and tidal power,
help for Canadians to improve the energy
efficiency of their homes, and action on
renewable fuels.
For more information on the government’s
environmental initiatives, visit www.ecoaction.gc.ca.
Eric Richer
+ More
Canada 's New Government Supports Clean
Air and Energy Efficiency Projects in Prince
Edward Island
OTTAWA (Ontario), April 24, 2007 - Canada
’s Minister of the Environment, John Baird
today announced $15 million in funding for
Prince Edward Island as part of a trust
fund set up by Canada’s New Government to
support provincial and territorial projects
to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and air pollutants. The $1.5 billion dollar
trust fund for clean air and climate change
is part of the Government’s recent $4.5
billion budget commitment to make real progress
on important environmental issues.
”I am pleased to have been able to work
with Premier Pat Binns on supporting Prince
Edward Island’s strategy on reducing green
house gasses and other pollutants”, said
Minister Baird. “Together in cooperation
with Canada’s provinces and territories
we are taking real action to tackle climate
change and air pollutants. We’ve demonstrated
that commitment in our budget announcements,
and we’re demonstrating it here again today.
By helping to support Prince Edward Island’s
efforts in this regard, we can work together
to find concrete and realistic solutions
to Canada’s environmental challenges.”
“This money will help Prince Edward Island
move towards fulfilling its environmental
agenda,” commented Minister of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency, Peter MacKay.
“Atlantic Canadians have a lot of great
ideas for how we can reduce air emissions,
and this funding will help our provinces
realize those ideas, to the benefit of all
Canadians.”
Both the Premier of Prince Edward Island
and the island’s Minister of Environment,
Energy and Forestry echoed their support
for the funding, and for the importance
of the proposed projects.
“Prince Edward Island has demonstrated
its commitment to being a leader in renewable
energy and environmental stewardship,” said
Premier Binns. “We will continue to lead
by example and look forward to working in
co-operation with our federal partners to
take action on this important issue.”
“Our province is particularly vulnerable
to the impacts of climate change”, added
Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Environment,
Energy and Forestry, Jamie Ballem. “This
funding will allow us to address local issues
in a way that makes sense for the province,
while at the same time achieving overall
benefits for all Canadians. It’s a win-win
situation for everyone”.
Prince Edward Island’s trust will be invested
in initiatives that build upon the province’s
strong history of renewable energy research
and development, increase energy efficiency
and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The
Government of Prince Edward Island has indicated
that it will use the funding to move forward
on several provincial projects which may
include:
support for homeowners to install renewable
energy technologies and make their homes
more energy efficient;
investment in renewable energy technologies
and energy saving measures in government
buildings;
a program to introduce renewable energy
demonstration projects in several Island
schools; and
a hydrogen fuelling station for the Prince
Edward Island Wind-Hydrogen Village.
Canada’s New Government is already delivering
on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
and air pollution by taking tangible steps
with initiatives in the energy and transportation
sectors such as ecoEnergy and ecoTransport,
and by committing to implement aggressive
regulations to reduce emissions in all sectors.
The provincial and territorial initiatives
supported byCanada’s New Government’s trust
fund for clean air and climate change will
complement those efforts.
As announced, resources for the trust will
consist of $1.5 billion of new funding on
a national basis. This funding is a part
of the actions being taken by Canada’s new
Government in their plan to build a stronger,
safer, better Canada. The funding will also
play a part in the Government’s action on
the fiscal imbalance.
For more information about the Federal
Government’s environmental initiatives,
please visit: http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca
For further information on Prince Edward
Island’s programs, please visit the Environment
and Land section of the island’s web site:
http://www.gov.pe.ca
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
