In this edition of EcoNews, we give you the scoop on an online map that’s tracking which Atlantic Canadian communities need to prepare for rising sea-levels, take a sneak peak at our letter applauding the report from Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, and look at a recent series of news stories featuring our Climate and Energy expert Louise Comeau on the growing prospect of a regional cap-and-trade system.
Then we wrap up with an invitation for local producers to give their input on New Brunswick’s agriculture programs and show you highlights from our bird feeder workshop with our Learning Outside coordinator, Nadine Ives.
NEWS
Online map shows Atlantic Canadian coastal communities
how much the sea level is rising
You may have heard about sea-level rise, but you may not have heard how much sea level is rising or how sea-level rise is related to climate change. That’s why the good people at the Ecology Action Centre in Nova Scotia have collaborated with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to give us an informative website where Atlantic Canadians can learn about rising sea levels, sign up for workshops about how to adapt to rising seas that are specific to our region, and see exactly which communities are going to need to start preparing now.
Four New Brunswick coastal communities have been added to the map – Pidgeon Hill on the North coast, Botsford near Cape Spear, Alma near Upper Salmon River and Cleveland Brook, and Seal Cove on the South shore of Grand Manan – but more are expected to make the list as new research is made available.
Move to regional cap-and-trade system
gaining momentum?
A recent series of news articles featuring Conservation Council Director of Climate Change and Energy Solutions Louise Comeau speculate that cap-and-trade systems, where large industrial polluters’ greenhouse gas emissions are capped, may be the pricing mechanism chosen, rather than a carbon tax, when it comes to putting a price on carbon pollution.
CBC asked Comeau to comment in response to NS Premier McNeil who was quoted as saying Nova Scotia has “entered into talking to the other provinces” to explore the possibility of signing on to their cap-and-trade system, set to roll out in 2018.
Updates
Conservation Council applauds report
from Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans
FREDERICTON – The Conservation Council in collaboration with other Canadian environmental organizations, wrote to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans on March 7, 2017, thanking the entire membership of the Standing Committee on for its report presented to the House of Commons on February 24, 2017 on the review of changes made in 2012 to the Fisheries Act.
In 2015, the government committed to “review the previous government’s changes to the Fisheries and Navigable Waters Protection Acts, restore lost protections, and incorporate modern safeguards” that had been cut from the Fisheries Act in 2012. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans released its report on February 24, 2017.
Farmers invited to comment
on agricultural priorities by March 17
Do you think the government should prioritise environmental protections and sustainable land use, or the introduction of new technologies? How would you rank our province’s agricultural priorities?
New Brunswick farmers – the province is seeking your input to aid in the development of our next federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture programs and policies. But, you need to be quick – there isn’t much time!
On March 31st 2018,Canada/New Brunswick’s Growing Forward 2 agricultural policy framework will be expiring, making way for the generation of a new framework beginning in April 2018.
Complete this online survey or mail in a completed printout to any Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries regional office by March 17, 2017.
Event Highlights
Feeding our feathery friends at our March Birdfeeder Workshop
In like a lion, out like a lamb…or a chickadee?
March certainly brought us some mighty cold days with it, but the frosty weather didn’t deter the many bird enthusiasts who attended the birdfeeder workshop at the Conserver House on March 4th, where our Learning Outside project coordinator, Nadine Ives, led the workshop where our talented photographer, Samantha Phillips, and other participants learned how to create our very own suet mug bird feeders out of simple ingredients.
Thank you for reading!
