Environment and Conservation
June 16, 2010
Atlantic Environment
Ministers Hold Regional Discussions
Environment ministers from Atlantic
Canada met in Fredericton, New Brunswick, yesterday to discuss regional
approaches and co-operation on a number of environmental issues. They
met under the auspices of the Council of Atlantic Environment Ministers.
The meeting was chaired by New Brunswick
Environment Minister Rick Miles and attended by Charlene Johnson,
Minister of Environment and Conservation, Newfoundland and Labrador;
Sterling Belliveau, Minister of Environment, Nova Scotia; and Prince
Edward Island's Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry, Richard
Brown. The ministers addressed various subjects during the meeting
including developing shared information packages on cosmetic pesticides,
climate change adaptation partnerships and clean air initiatives, all of
which are areas of consideration in the development of a green economy.
"We hear more and more about the concept
of a green economy," said Minister Miles. "Large international and
Canadian industries and businesses are starting to recognize that they
have a central role to play in assisting the transition to a low carbon
and resource efficient green economy. As government and environment
ministers, we also have a role to play. By having such discussions today
on this subject, we were able to better understand the concept of a
green economy and the opportunities it presents for our communities
growth and development."
The ministers agreed on the importance of
the Atlantic Provinces investing in green projects and initiatives that
provide opportunities for economic growth, while offering innovative
solutions to environmental issues.
"While our respective governments are
already investing in green projects and technologies, we must accelerate
our strategies in order to solve issues and, in doing so, increase
employment and help stimulate our economies," said Minister Belliveau.
"The development of science and
technology applications that offer the potential to improve our quality
of life and protect our environment are critical to the development of a
green economy," added Minister Johnson.
Ministers also discussed the Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) on Environmental Co-operation in Atlantic Canada.
The MOU outlines a set of environmental management principles of
co-operation and is designed to guide the creation of more specific
agreements or annexes, the first of which is a water annex. A workshop
for the water annex has been planned and all ministers agreed on the
importance of moving forward on the water priorities that have been
identified. Ministers will be forwarding a letter to their federal
counterpart re-emphasizing their support for the continuation of these
initiatives.
Ministers will also be forwarding a
letter to Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice emphasizing that
Environment Canada should work with the Municipal Wastewater Effluent (MWWE)
Coordination Committee to bring the regulations in line with the MWWE
strategy, and allow them the opportunity to review the revised
regulation before it is published in the Canada Gazette Part II.
Finally, ministers agreed that the
concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a positive way to
further reduce waste in the Atlantic region. Regional best practices
were discussed, and ministers struck a working group to work on regional
harmonization around packaging and other opportunities such as
pharmaceuticals and construction and demolition debris.
"The Atlantic Region is successfully
addressing environmental issues co-operatively," said Minster Brown.
"We've learned from other provinces in developing our electronic waste,
pesticide reduction and beverage container programs. I look forward to
further co-operation to strengthen our actions on the environment."
The next meeting of the Council of
Atlantic Environment Ministers will be held in Prince Edward Island.
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Media contacts:
Melony
O'Neill
Department of Environment and Conservation
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-2575, 689-0928
moneill@gov.nl.ca
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Jodi M Sibley
Department of Environment
Government of Nova Scotia
902-424-7420
sibleyjm@gov.ns.ca
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Jennifer Graham
Department of Environment
Government of New Brunswick
506-453-3700
jennifer.graham@gnb.ca
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Kim Devine
Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry
Government of Prince Edward Island
902-368-5286
kmdevine@gov.pe.ca
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2010 06 16
11:35 a.m.
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