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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
Jodi M Sibley
Department of Environment
Government of Nova Scotia
902-424-7420
sibleyjm@gov.ns.ca
 
Jennifer Graham
Department of Environment
Government of New Brunswick
506-453-3700
jennifer.graham@gnb.ca
Kim Devine
Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry
Government of Prince Edward Island
902-368-5286
kmdevine@gov.pe.ca 


2010 06 16                                                  11:35 a.m.
 


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