Hearings on Pesticide and Herbicide Use in New Brunswick Come to a Close

: Posted by Sam McWilliams; 25 June 2021

This week, the Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship held hearings to discuss pesticide and herbicide use in New Brunswick. NBEN member groups Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Stop Spraying in NB, and Écovie were among the long list of presenters, along with NBEN collaborator and Université de Moncton researcher Dr. Céline Surette.

About 13,000 hectares of Crown forest are sprayed each year in New Brunswick. Spraying is typically done by helicopter for about 40 days from August to September to kill hardwoods and other plants which compete with seedlings. Spraying covers roughly 25 per cent of the softwood land cut each year.

Click HERE to hear what Lois Corbett had to say and to use the Conservation Council of N.B.'s letter writing tool.
Click HERE to watch the powerful testimonial by Francine Levesque from Écovie.
Click HERE to visit Stop Spraying in N.B.'s Facebook page and HERE to see Caroline Lubbe-D'Arcy's presentation.
Click HERE to check out Dr. Surette's powerpoint presentation.
Click HERE to read about the New Brunswick National Farmers Union's piece.
Click HERE to read about the presentation from the only Indigenous witness, Steve Ginnish, director of forestry for Eel Ground-based Mi'gmawe'l Tplu'taqnn Inc.

CCNB has a media roundup which you can access HERE.

On behalf of three members of its Spraying Caucus, a letter was submitted to the Standing Committee on Friday, June 25th. To view this letter, click HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact nben@nben.ca.

Action Alerts

Unveiling "Tell the Facts" Campaign

01 March 2024

We are excited to share that the Conservation Council of New Brunswick has launched a new campaign called “Tell the Facts.” — a campaign to do just that: Tell the facts about the federal clean electricity regulations and counter misleading ads launched in New Brunswick by the Alberta government.

Last September, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith unveiled the “Tell the Feds” campaign, spreading inaccurate information about Ottawa’s clean electricity regulations. Unfortunately, New Brunswickers became unwitting targets of this misinformation for several months.

In light of this, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick has taken a stand with the “Tell the Facts” campaign aimed at setting the record straight on how these federal regulations will impact energy reliability, affordability and climate action in New Brunswick and across Canada.

The misinformation spread by Alberta about renewable energy is unacceptable, and our campaign is our firm response. We aim to showcase that clean, affordable energy can positively shape everyone’s future.

We encourage you to explore our campaign website, where you will find valuable and informative resources. Additionally, we’ve created a user-friendly letter-writing tool that allows you to easily communicate with federal politicians, demanding a strong commitment to a clean energy future.

Together, let’s rally for a better, cleaner future for New Brunswick and Canada. Click the link below to send your letter and be a part of this crucial movement.

Take action now! Your letter will be sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault.

Atlantic Citizens’ Assembly on Electricity Affordability and Energy Poverty

01 March 2024

Energy poverty is a term used to describe households that spend six percent or more of their after-tax household income on heating, cooling, and lighting their homes.

Atlantic Canada has the highest rates of Energy Poverty in Canada. While citizens support the transition away from fossil fuels for electricity generation and home heating, they recognize the transition might mean electricity bills will increase, which is a concern for many already facing challenges with power bills.

Are you spending six percent or more of your after-tax household income on energy? Would you like to participate in the Atlantic Citizens’ Assembly to make recommendations to federal and provincial governments and utility Boards on how to keep electricity affordable and eliminate energy poverty, while eliminating carbon and air pollution from the electricity system?

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick is hosting an Atlantic-wide Citizens’ Assembly with a diverse group of about 6 Participants from each of the Atlantic Provinces living in rural and urban communities, with different household incomes, educational backgrounds, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The event will take place online in May.

A Citizens’ Assembly is a process where people come together to consider an issue, supported by expert reports and advisors. A facilitator helps participants consider the facts, share their personal experiences, and identify areas of agreement and disagreement that can inform recommendations to decision-makers on opportunities to improve electricity affordability and reduce energy poverty.

If you are interested in participating in this important event, we ask you to consider the following:

Do you have access to reliable internet, computer, and camera so you can join us for a virtual Citizens’ Assembly in May?
Are you willing to fill out a pre-assembly survey to help us determine your suitability?
Can you read reports on energy affordability and energy poverty that are in English (we will provide material in French where they are available)?
Can you spare enough time to read the background materials we will share with you to help prepare you to participate in the Citizens’ Assembly? Reading background materials may take you three to four hours.

If you would like to participate in the Conservation Council’s Citizens’ Assembly on Electricity Affordability and Energy Poverty, please reach out to Faith at faith.mambo@conservationcouncil.ca.