CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.--
February 22, 2012 -- The Honourable Gail
Shea, Minister of National Revenue and MP
for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable
Peter Kent, Canada’s Minister of the Environment,
today announced the Nature Conservancy of
Canada's successful acquisition of two properties
off the coast of Prince Edward Island--the
34-hectare Governors Island, in the Hillsborough
Bay area, and the 12-hectare Reynolds Island,
located south of Murray Harbour, Prince
Edward Island. These projects were secured
in part with funding from Environment Canada's
Natural Areas Conservation Program.
“The two properties
that have been acquired--Governors Island
and Reynolds Island--will be an important
part of our pursuit of the preservation
and protection of our Island's biodiversity,”
said Minister Shea. “Each island remains
untouched, and we know that undeveloped
coastal islands provide important refuges
for wildlife. Prince Edward Island has very
few undeveloped coastal islands, making
the acquisition of these rare and precious
commodities a victory for Island conservation
efforts.”
“This acquisition marks
another achievement under our government's
Natural Areas Conservation Program,” said
Minister Kent. “We continue to take real
action across Canada to protect our ecosystems
and sensitive species for present and future
generations. Your actions today will help
to protect the abundance and variety of
life that will constitute our natural heritage
tomorrow.”
Governors Island, located
approximately seven kilometres from Stratford,
Prince Edward Island, is primarily wooded,
with wetland areas and provides excellent
habitat for one of PEI’s largest Great Blue
Heron colonies. Much of the island is dominated
by steep banks, except for the extensive
sand spit on the island's eastern tip. The
shallow water surrounding the island provides
ideal feeding areas for herons and waterfowl.
The Reynolds Island
property, located in Kings County, features
salt marshes and surrounding waters which
create ideal stopping and feeding grounds
for various migratory birds, such as the
tern, gull, heron and several species of
waterfowl. Harbour seals frequent the sand
spit in the northeast of the island and
waterfowl use the marshes along the island's
coasts.
“We want to thank the
Government of Canada and our other funding
partners for working together in achieving
these significant acquisitions,” said Linda
Stephenson, Atlantic Regional Vice President
for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “These
off-shore islands have been a target for
protection by conservation groups since
the early 1970s and are necessary for the
movement of certain colonies of birds and
for shallow water feeding sites.”
The Government of Canada's
$225-million Natural Areas Conservation
Program is an important on-the-ground initiative
that takes real action to preserve Canada’s
environment and conserve its precious natural
heritage for present and future generations.
It is through the ongoing contribution from
all donors the protection of natural areas
in Canada can be ensured. As of December
2011, the Natural Areas Conservation Program
has protected 327,757 hectares of habitat,
which includes habitat for 117 species at
risk.
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Government of Canada
Concludes Siloxane D5 is Not Harmful to
the Environment
OTTAWA, Ont. -- February
29, 2012 -- Canada's Environment Minister,
the Honourable Peter Kent, today announced
that the Government of Canada has decided
siloxane D5 is not harmful to the environment.
“This decision follows
a thorough analysis of the Siloxane D5 Board
of Review’s report, all existing available
scientific information, and on-going international
regulatory activities,” said Minister Kent.
“It underlines our commitment to reach fact-based
conclusions to protect Canadians’ health
and the environment.”
Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane
(D5) is an odorless, colourless liquid found
in a number of personal care products, including
deodorants, antiperspirants, cosmetics,
shampoos, and body lotions. It is used in
the production of silicone polymers and
may also be used as a dry-cleaning solvent
and in industrial cleaning.
Minister Kent received
the Siloxane D5 Board of Review’s report
last fall. The Minister convened the Board
of Review in August 2010 with the mandate
to consider information in the original
Government of Canada 2009 siloxane D5 screening
assessment, as well as new scientific information
subsequently available. Based on the information
before it, the Board concluded that siloxane
D5 is not harmful to the environment.
Siloxane D5 is one of
the chemicals identified under Canada's
Chemicals Management Plan. The Plan takes
immediate action to regulate chemicals harmful
to human health or the environment and aims
to make Canada a world leader in assessing
and regulating chemicals used in thousands
of industrial and consumer products.
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Canada’s Environment
Minister and International Partners Launch
New Global Climate and Clean Air Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. --
February 16, 2012 -- Today, Canada’s Environment
Minister, the Honourable Peter Kent, alongside
United States Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton and Environment Ministers from participating
countries, launched a new global initiative
aimed at making rapid progress on countering
climate change and improving air quality.
The new initiative, the Climate and Clean
Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate
Pollutants, is composed of six participating
countries--Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico,
Sweden and the United States--and supported
by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP).
“This is an important
alliance that will serve to reduce emissions,
help counter climate change, and work towards
delivering a global solution to this global
problem,” said Minister Kent. “Taking action
on short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs)
will yield positive results in the near-term
as we continue to make progress in our efforts
to reduce emissions from longer-lived greenhouse
gases, such as carbon dioxide.”
It is estimated that
SLCP emissions, such as methane, black carbon
(soot), and tropospheric ozone, will contribute
about half of the climate warming from current
anthropogenic emissions over the next couple
of decades. They have critical impacts on
water cycle, crop yields, air quality and
human health. This issue is of particular
importance for Arctic countries, as black
carbon has an additional warming effect
when deposited on snow and ice.
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Registration for the
Greater Snow Goose Fall Hunt at Cap Tourmente
National Wildlife Area
QUÉBEC, Que.
-- February 28, 2012 -- Environment Canada
wishes to inform waterfowl hunters that
they can register for the random draw to
hunt Greater Snow Geese, next fall, at the
Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area. Entry
forms for the random draw must be received
by our office no later than April 30, 2012,
for the hunt that will take place between
October 2 and 20, 2012.
Entry forms for the
draw can be downloaded from the Environment
Canada website, under the Highlights menu.
Additional information can be obtained by
calling 418-827-3776, Monday to Friday,
from 8:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m, or by sending
an email to chasse-hunt.captourmente@ec.gc.ca.
Registration fees are
$8 and are non-refundable. Only one registration
per person will be accepted. To increase
the chance of winning the draw, hunters
are encouraged to ensure that all members
of their party have registered. The winning
hunters will be contacted by telephone in
mid-May in the order in which their names
were drawn.
The Cap Tourmente National
Wildlife Area is located on the north shore
of the St. Lawrence River, 50 km east of
Québec City. It is part of the 54
National Wildlife Areas across Canada dedicated
to conserving significant habitat for wildlife
species, including species at risk.
