In this edition of EcoNews, we invite you to dive into our presentation on the Expert Panel for the Review of the Environmental Assessment Processes report and submit your own comments at LetsTalkEA.ca. Then we shine some light on water quality, give you the latest news on Parlee Beach, and share our first set of love letters to our rivers, lakes and streams. Last, but not least, we end this issue of EcoNews with heartfelt memories of our dear friend and local environmental activist, Gloria Paul.
NEWS
Public invited to comment on the Expert Panel
for the Review of Environmental Assessment Processes report
Last week, the Expert Panel for the Review of Environmental Assessment Processes report, Building Common Ground: A New Vision for Impact Assessment in Canada, was released. The report sets out recommendations for how the federal environmental assessment (EA) process should be reformed. Public comments are due by May 5, 2017, and can be submitted at LetsTalkEA.ca.
Conservation Council presentation to Expert Panel on modernizing energy board
The five-member expert panel, set up by Federal Natural Resources Minister James Carr to provide advice on how best to modernize the National Energy Board (NEB), heard from the Conservation Council at its meeting in Saint John in March. The Council’s Fundy Baykeeper Matt Abbott and volunteer Scott Kidd wrote the submission. Download the complete document by clicking the link below.
Conservation Council welcomes new water quality reporting rules for Parlee Beach
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s Executive Director, Lois Corbett, made the following comments in response to the provincial government’s announcement on April 5, 2017, about new rules and procedures for reporting water quality at Parlee Beach:
“It’s a smart protocol, one that will increase health protection. Deciding to use Health Canada’s technical and science-based guidelines for beach water safety is the right decision.”
It’s time to protect our watersheds – Editorial
by Conservation Council’s Executive Director, Lois Corbett
New Brunswick is rich in beautiful lakes, rivers and streams. Whether it’s our 5,000 kilometres of ocean coast, our 60,000 kilometres of major rivers and lovely streams, or our 2,500 lakes, we know them all, love them all, and argue which part of our wet province is our favourite. Citizens from all walks of life and in all communities in the province highly value this beautiful, natural heritage.
A recent public opinion poll conducted for the Conservation Council finds a large majority of us are concerned about the health of our water and believe that it is at risk from too much pollution. So it’s a good thing to see that the provincial government is working to develop a comprehensive water protection strategy.
Your love letters to our rivers, lakes and streams – Entry No.1
Last month, in celebration of World Water Day 2017 and all the joy our New Brunswick waters give, we sent out a call for stories from people who’ve shared a special memory or connection with one of our beautiful rivers, streams, lakes or bays.
Our first set of love letters comes to us from Ardeth Holmes, 65, a talented writer, poet and proud New Brunswicker living in St. Andrews, NB, who says she enjoys meditating outdoors in nature, especially at her favourite spot in Oak Bay Provincial Park where the saltwaters of the Passamaquoddy Bay mingles with the St. Croix and Waweig Rivers.
IN MEMORY
Remembering Gloria Paul, environmental and peace activist
Longtime environmental and peace activist, Gloria Paul of Hoyt, NB, passed away suddenly on March 18, 2017, at the age of 79, leaving her many friends in sadness and shock, but also full of fond memories of friendship and inspiration. Gloria was a writer of letters to the editor, a fan of Ideas with Paul Kennedy on CBC Radio and a giver of chocolate bars. Having survived the London Blitz, a bombing air raid during World World II as a child, when Gloria spoke of ending all war, people listened.
UPDATES
Recycle NB now accepts electronic products
Is your old desktop tower sitting in the corner of your room, unused but as an oversized doorstop? Maybe your bedside cabinet is filled to the brim with cracked cellphones and what appears to be your old beeper from the 90’s?
Don’t worry. The wait is over! You can now recycle your old electronic devices at any one of 40 authorized drop-off centres around the province as part of a new recycling program organized by Recycle NB.
CONSERVATION COUNCIL IN THE NEWS
April 12, 2017 – Salmon farms as “disease incubators”, Matt Abbott on sea lice outbreak in north Passamaquoddy Bay
The Conservation Council’s Fundy Baykeeper Matt Abbott was featured in the Hakai magazine on April 7, 2017, where he said sea lice outbreaks are common on East Coast salmon farms.
A half-million salmon died in the Bay of Fundy from a sea lice outbreak in north Passamaquoddy Bay last summer. More than 240, 000 salmon died from the infestation and another 284,000 were killed to prevent the parasites from killing the rest of the fish and spreading further. Mortality at these two sites was particularly bad, but the sea lice problem was region-wide.
