Dr. Colin Carrie
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment
To Announce 2013-2014 Great Lakes Sustainability Fund Projects
Quinte West, Ontario
April 23, 2014
Check Against Delivery
Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining us.
I am so pleased to be in Quinte West today, on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, to announce more support from the Government of Canada for community projects that have positive, measurable results for our environment.
The Great Lakes account for 20 percent of the world’s surface freshwater supply. They are home to 150 species of fish and 3,500 plants and animals.
For the 40 million people who live on both sides of the border, the Great Lakes ecosystem provides a wealth of economic and social benefits. Every year, its shipping and fishing industries inject billions of dollars into Canada’s economy. It is a hub for tourism and recreation and an integral part of our communities.
Yet, there are continuing stresses on its ecosystem such as: population growth and agricultural intensification, aquatic invasive species and changing climate conditions. We need to continue working together to protect and restore Canada’s Great Lakes.
That is why I am pleased to be here today to highlight 31 projects totalling $1.88 million, supported by the Government of Canada’s Great Lakes Sustainability Fund.
The Great Lakes Sustainability Fund supports community-level projects that restore environmental quality in Canada’s Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
These areas have been officially designated under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The projects we are highlighting today are helping to restore fish and wildlife habitat, clean up contaminated sediment, and control pollution from municipal wastewaters and rural runoff.
They build on the more than 900 projects that Great Lakes Sustainability Fund has already supported since 1989—with partners such as conservation authorities, municipalities, environmental groups, industry and the Province of Ontario. And their success will help us achieve our shared goal to clean up all of the remaining Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
In a moment, Glenda Rodgers and Terry Murphy, co-chairs of the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan Restoration Council, will provide more details on some of the local projects that are helping to clean up the environment in the area—including a successful fish and wildlife habitat project in the Bay of Quinte.
Today’s announcement is one more way that the Government of Canada is continuing to demonstrate its commitment to restoring environmental quality in Canada’s Great Lakes.
It demonstrates the value of working together to build on the progress we’ve made towards healthier Great Lakes that Canadians today and tomorrow will continue to enjoy.
Thank you.
