FREDERICTON — The Conservation Council of New Brunswick is pleased to see the provincial government has included water, forests, climate change and local food as priority areas for the year ahead.
The speech was delivered today by Lieutenant Governor Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau on behalf of Premier Brian Gallant’s government to mark the official opening of the Second Session of the 58th Legislative Assembly.
Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, issued the following statement:
“We look forward to seeing a new forest strategy that will protect our deer and wildlife, creates a range of jobs in the woods, and works for the benefit of all New Brunswickers who work and play in our forest.
We need to make sure our rivers, lakes, streams and bays are protected from pollution. It’s time for the Minister of Environment to roll up his sleeves and get to work on this long overdue file.
We’re excited to see and look forward to supporting a local food strategy that will create more work for our farmers and help New Brunswickers feed their families with good, wholesome, locally-grown food.
As Premier Gallant prepares to join other world leaders in Paris for the latest round of international climate negotiations, it’s high time for our province to finalize a new Climate Change Action Plan. A good climate plan would have strong emission reduction targets and would give communities the tools they need to create their own, locally-owned clean energy.
While the speech talked of creating sustainable jobs for New Brunswickers, it’s disappointing no mention was made of the thousands of jobs we could create in our province by investing in energy efficiency and clean energy. These job opportunities are low-hanging fruit that would significantly benefit our economy and families.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Jon MacNeill, Conservation Council of New Brunswick: 458-8747 | 261-1353 | jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca