PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE,
Man. – June 8, 2013 – Candice Bergen, Member
of Parliament for Portage—Lisgar, on behalf
of Canada’s Environment Minister, the Honourable
Peter Kent, today celebrated Canada’s 1000th
Ecogift south of Austin, Manitoba. This
Ecogift consists of 59 hectares of prairie
grassland and aspen parkland that is ideal
habitat for a large variety of birds. The
land is also in the core range of the endangered
northern prairie skink, Manitoba’s only
lizard.
“It is a great honour
to recognize Canada’s 1000th Ecogift in
southern Manitoba and mark the success of
the Ecological Gifts Program since its creation
in 1995,” said MP Bergen. “Over the past
18 years, Canadians have donated over 150,000
hectares of private land valued at approximately
$630 million. With this program, Canadians
can take real action to protect and conserve
our country’s ecosystems for present and
future generations. I encourage other land
owners to consider the Ecogift Program as
it would be wonderful to protect more land,
especially native prairie lands.”
Since 1995, Canada’s
Ecological Gifts Program has encouraged
private landowners to conserve ecologically
sensitive land by donating it to a qualified
recipient. Donors not only have the comfort
of knowing that their cherished piece of
nature will be cared for in the future,
but they also receive significant income
tax benefits.
“The Manitoba Habitat
Heritage Corporation is a proud partner
in the Ecological Gifts Program and we will
be responsible for conserving this prairie
Ecogift in perpetuity,” said John Whitaker,
Chairpersonof the Manitoba Heritage Habitat
Corporation. “Working to conserve Canada’s
natural legacy through partnerships is what
we do.”
“Donating a perpetual
conservation easement on this land has been
a very rewarding experience,” said Karl
Gerrand, one of the private property donors
of Canada’s 1000th Ecogift. “It feels good
to know that this land will remain undeveloped
forever, and that future generations will
be able to enjoy a natural untouched wilderness
that past generations have taken for granted.”
“One of the reasons
I have valued having the land and want to
protect it for the future is because of
the opportunity it has provided for my children
to be exposed to the natural environment
and the educational opportunities it has
provided me as a parent,” said Trevor Pizzey,
the other private property donor of Canada’s
1000th Ecogift. “Regardless of the season,
observation of the natural environment is
a great way for any of us to learn something
new.”
+ More
Harper Government Moves
to Strengthen Regulations on Air Pollution
to Provide Cleaner Air to Canadians
TORONTO, Ont. – June
7, 2013 – Canada's Environment Minister,
the Honourable Peter Kent, today announced
that, in order to provide cleaner air to
Canadians, the Government of Canada intends
to align its transportation-related air
pollution emission standards with the more
stringent United States proposed Tier 3
standards.
“This new initiative
is proof of our government’s commitment
to cleaner air, today and for generations
to come,” said Minister Kent. “Once fully
phased-in, these standards are expected
to reduce smog-forming air pollutants from
new vehicles by approximately 80% compared
to the current Tier 2 standards.”
Canada intends to amend
its related regulations to align with the
United States Tier 3 standards, which include
stricter limits on air pollutant emissions
from new cars and light trucks and reductions
to the amount of sulphur in gasoline. The
details of the planned regulations will
be developed in consultation with stakeholders.
“Toyota responds to
the world's need for affordable fuel efficient
and low emission vehicles through constant
innovation in conventional and advanced
technologies,” said Seiji Ichii, President
and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc. “We are proud
to say that the launch of hybrid vehicle
production at our plant in Cambridge, Ontario,
next year will make Toyota the first manufacturer
to build highly efficient gasoline, hybrid
and electric vehicles in Canada."
“The Global Automakers
of Canada fully support the Government of
Canada’s commitment to proceed with Tier
3 emission standards that are aligned with
the United States Environmental Protection
Agency’s proposed Tier 3 program,” said
David Adams, President of the Global Automakers
of Canada “Through the reduction of sulphur
in gasoline from 30 parts per million (ppm)
to 10 ppm with a low sulphur cap, the government
is reinforcing that a system approach to
vehicles and fuels is necessary to maximize
emissions reductions for the benefit of
Canadians, and will enable automakers to
introduce new advanced technologies required
to achieve the stringent greenhouse gas
emissions and fuel efficiency standards
in place now and proposed through to 2025.”
“The Canadian Vehicle
Manufacturers’ Association continues to
support the government’s ongoing efforts
to harmonize both vehicle-related air pollution
and greenhouse gas emission standards with
those in the United States, consistent with
the objectives of the Canada–Unites States
Regulatory Cooperation Council’s action
plan," stated Mark Nantais, President.
“Today’s announcement to implement new more
stringent Tier 3 emissions standards builds
on our achievements, which is important
for Canada’s integrated automotive industry,
and it will ensure that a greater choice
of vehicles are available at more affordable
prices for consumers. The combination of
harmonized Tier 3 emission requirements
for vehicles and lower sulphur content in
gasoline will ensure Canadians, like their
United States counterparts, receive the
same air quality benefits and greater assurance
of properly operating advanced emission
control technologies on 2017 and later model
year vehicles.”
“We are pleased to see
a continuing commitment by the federal government
to align Canada’s fuel sulphur content regulations
with United States requirements,” commented
Peter Boag, President of the Canadian Fuels
Association.
Under the Regulatory
Cooperation Council announced by Prime Minister
Harper and President Obama, Canada and the
United States have agreed to tightly align
our regulatory work on light duty vehicle
emissions. A notice announcing the Government's
intention will be published in the June
8 issue of the Canada Gazette, Part I.
“It is especially fitting
to announce this new clean air measure that
will benefit all Canadians during Environment
week,” concluded Minister Kent.
This is the latest federal
action to provide clean air in Canada. In
May, the Government announced the new Canadian
Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate
matter and ground-level ozone.
