Environmental Assessment Changes put Oceans at Risk
The Conservative government is putting the health of our oceans at risk by radically cutting requirements for the environmental assessment process.
With the changes the Conservative government is making, we might not hear about proposed projects before they begin; nor can we feel confident that the Federal Government will adequately consider a project’s potential negative environmental impact before it gives its approval.
The actions of the Conservative government to remove environmental protections in the name of short-term economic stimulus will affect many industries, salmon farming in particular. Currently, new fish farm applications go through a federal environmental assessment screening. This critical safety net would be removed if the Conservatives’ plans are implemented; with no public notice of new farm applications, no opportunity to comment on where a farm is to be located, and no means of publicly suggesting alternatives to consider.
Ecosystem impacts based on the locations of salmon farms can put our wild fisheries at risk. BC wild fisheries have supported our coastal economy for generations; and exempting fish farms from the environmental assessment process is just one example of the Conservative government’s failure to consider long term economic sustainability in favour of a short term political win.
Living Oceans Society is among dozens of organizations across Canada telling the federal government that economic stimulus and environmental protection should go hand in hand. A healthy economy is built on the foundation of a healthy environment. In a media briefing LOS organized in Ottawa on March 13, we made it clear that by enabling public participation in a transparent, informed decision-making process, the environmental assessment plays a fundamental role in sustainable development in Canada.
Without consulting the public, the Harper government has quietly slipped major regulatory changes into the 2009 budget, including changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Fisheries Act. The Conservatives are promising even greater changes as early as this spring with a much weaker environmental assessment act. The result: Ottawa will step almost entirely out of its environmental assessment role. If the federal government walks away from this process, the provincial governments will not have the jurisdiction to protect our environment alone.
While there is a need to improve the Environmental Assessment system, eliminating it entirely is not the way to go. Gutting the environmental assessment process to allow industry to develop without public input and without examining the risks, endangers our natural environment and the long term health of our economy.
What we need is an open and transparent review of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act with recommendations to improve the assessment process. In dismantling federal environmental assessment, the Harper government is destroying a cornerstone of sustainable development in Canada with potentially devastating social, economic and environmental consequences.
Take action - click here and send the government a message urging them to drop plans to introduce a weak new Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
One Positive Step Forward - The First PNCIMA Forum
The first formal PNCIMA Forum, March 26-27, was largest ever Canadian gathering focused on marine planning.
Over 300 people attended including representatives from all levels of government, First Nations, coastal communities, marine industries, and non-governmental organizations. Many more participated online through video conferencing.
For many years, Living Oceans Society and our environmental organization partners have argued that the most effective way to protect and manage PNCIMA is to work with people who live and work in the area. Along with this, it is essential to base decisions about the future use of the ocean and its resources on credible science and informed local knowledge.
The launch of PNCIMA is a positive step towards these goals.
Involving as many of the PNCIMA stakeholders as possible is essential. At this gathering, many of the participants criticized DFO’s decision to hold the forum in Richmond, as this meant that residents of the region had to travel long distances in order to attend. These are legitimate concerns. The PNCIMA Steering Committee, made up of First Nations and Federal government representatives, seemed to hear this concern and indicated they will be organizing regional meetings in the future.
There are also real concerns that DFO and its partners do not have adequate funding and capacity to carry out this ambitious project. As such we need to continue to put pressure on the federal government to allocate sufficient funding to protect and plan for healthy oceans.
Take action now by visiting healthyoceans.ca and let the federal government know you care, by demanding that the government back up this process with appropriate funding.
The PNCIMA Steering Committee conveyed some next steps:
- Development of a stakeholder engagement strategy
- Publishing Forum notes and discussions on the pncima.org website
- Establishing principals of and agreement to move forward with a Marine - Transportation Working Group; while determining how this working group relates to the larger PNCIMA planning model
- Development of community level meetings for local participation
- Finalization of the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area process.
The next major PNCIMA forum will be in the spring of 2010. Between now and then community level meetings will be organized in order to gather input.
See PncimaMatters.ca for additional information about issues and considerations for PNCIMA.
Traditional Knowledge: Essential for Oceans Management
The use of traditional or local knowledge to influence oceans management is still being debated in some circles, yet from our Local Ecological Knowledge coordinator Vern Sampson's experience “anecdotal evidence” in some cases may often be the best information available.
The recent PNCIMA Forum included valuable presentations to support this. These presentations were given by both Russ Jones, Technical Director of the Haida Fisheries Program in Haida Gwaii and Des Nobles, former commercial fisherman and Northern Coordinator for the T. Buck Suzuki Environmental Foundation. Both Jones and Nobles noted that it is imperative that TEK/LEK be collected, compiled and included as an essential component of the PNCIMA planning process.
I couldn’t agree more. In fact, some of my research has shown that there are numerous cases where TEK/LEK has been of invaluable benefit to empirical science as well as wildlife research and management strategies, but only if the knowledge is applied.
Here are a couple of examples.
1. The Gwich’in people living in Canada’s north have depended for centuries on a fish known as the Dolly Varden – which is now on the verge of extinction. In a race to save the species, biologists and local elders are combining both science and TEK in their research. To protect the fish from extinction, Nathan Miller, fisheries biologist with the Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board in Inuvik needed to find the Dolly Varden’s spawning grounds in the Vittrekwa River system, a tributary of the Mackenzie. Despite his high-tech equipment and sophisticated methodology, he could not locate the Dolly Varden’s spawning grounds. His research assistant, Steven Tetlichi, suggested they talk to his uncle William Teya, an elder who had fished and hunted in the Gwich’in territory all his life. With Mr. Teya as their guide and a helicopter for transportation, Nathan Miller and his team found the spawning grounds within minutes. Thanks to Mr. Teya, the dhik’ii, the Gwich’in name for the Dolly Varden may once again thrive in the Mackenzie River Delta and provide a valuable resource for the local population.
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Herring
spawn on kelp surrounding a sea anemone. |
The Heiltsuk position is not a quantitative assessment but is based on observation as well as lessons about fishing methods learned from their forefathers. These lessons are being passed on to their younger generation so that the Heiltsuk’s concept of eco-system based management will not only ensure the sustainability of their resources but also, as Heiltsuk tradition dictates, would include provisions for elders and fishers to provide meaningful input and that this input be taken seriously.
If you are interested in setting up an interview to share some of your local ecological knowledge, or want some more information about Living Oceans Society’s Local Ecological Knowledge project, you can contact me at 250-973-6580 or vsampson@livingoceans.org.
For more information about PNCIMA, click here.
Coastal Voice – Louisa Bates
For this edition of Coastal Voices, we had the chance to talk with Louisa Bates, a lifelong North Islander, currently studying biology at the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.
Louisa takes many courses related to the ocean, and volunteers with a professor at the University, cleaning specimens in her spare time. Every summer, Louisa returns to the North Island to manage the Johnstone Strait Killer Whale Interpretive Center in Telegraph Cove.
1. Tell us about yourself and your connection to the coast
I grew up in Port Hardy. I have spent my entire life living near the ocean, and I love the coast. Growing up, I spent a lot of time volunteering with the local fish hatcheries, and my father works with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, so his job ensured that I was always near the ocean.
2. What do you love most about our coastal area?
The North Island is so beautiful and I have a great love for the area. Specifically, I am also drawn back home because of the wonderful Killer Whale Interpretive Center in Telegraph Cove. The Whale Interpretive Center and my passion for talking to people on a one-on-one level about marine life and conservation issues always brings me back here. As manager at the Whale Interpretive Centre, I am able to create public awareness and educate people on a national and international level about the North Island and some of the many conservation issues that we face.
3. What are your biggest concerns for our area?
On a daily basis, I run into people who actively choose to believe there is nothing that they can do for the environment. They prefer to remain oblivious about our area and the conservation issues that we face. One example is the debate around [wild vs. farmed] salmon: there are so many things that people can do to have awareness about the issues, educate themselves, and become active, but they just choose not to.
4. What is your hope for the future?
With the provincial elections coming up, we all have an opportunity to make our voice heard. I hope that BC residents will firstly become aware of marine and conservation issues, then educate themselves about those problems, and finally become actively involved in finding a solution. I do believe that together as a group, we can create positive change on our coast, and I hope that we will all become actively involved in making a difference in our area.
If you know of someone who is a voice for our coast, let Heather know at haldeersey@livingoceans.org
