MONCTON, April 20, 2011 - Like for every federal election, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper submitted a
survey to candidates of ridings surrounding the river, which are Beauséjour, Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
and Fundy Royal. The Riverkeeper is delighted by the support received, despite the lack of understanding
that seems to exist with the conservative candidates over the issue.
The first question was about their support for the Petitcodiac River Restoration Project. All candidates
support the Petitcodiac River Restoration with the exception of conservative candidates, Rob Moore of
Fundy Royal and Evelyn Chapman of Beauséjour. Without a clear answer, Robert Goguen, Conservative
Party candidate in Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, wants to wait until the monitoring phase is over " to
evaluate when and how to proceed with the next phase."
The second question concerned the candidates' commitment to ensure that the federal government
financially contributes at least half the cost of the Petitcodiac River Restoration Project. Candidates of the
Liberal Party, NDP and Green Party have responded positively to this question. While the liberal Dominic
LeBlanc believes that “the restoration project of the Petitcodiac River must be completed", conservative
Robert Goguen will ensure federal funding only "if it is the wish of the residents of Moncton-Riverview-
Dieppe and the other levels of government."
According to the Riverkeeper, the Conservative candidates’ position is disappointing. "The federal
government has been a partner in the restoration project since the beginning. Its continued participation is
expected; almost all candidates recognize that” says Marco Morency, executive director of Petitcodiac
Riverkeeper. "We're at the end of a long process that involved the most comprehensive environmental
impact assessment ever conducted in New Brunswick. The federal government is engaged in this process
and it has to remain engaged until the project is completed "he adds.
As for the positions taken by the Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe Conservative candidate, Robert Goguen,
Marco Morency highlights that since the causeway gates were open in April 2010, preliminary results
exceed expectations of all observers and restoration receives the support of four out of five voters in the
region. Petitcodiac Riverkeeper carries out a survey for each federal election since 2000.
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INFORMATION:
Marco Morency | Tel. 388-5337 | Cel. 863-5114 | marco.morency@petitcodiac.org
BACKGROUND
The Petitcodiac River causeway was built between 1966 and 1968. Since then, it has altered the river’s
tidal bore, the socio-economic activities that existed along the waterway, and the ecosystem. This
includes negatively affecting aquatic species native to the river, most notably the now endangered inner
Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon.
The Petitcodiac River causeway was declared illegal in March 2001 by former federal Minister of
Fisheries and Oceans, Herb Dhaliwal, following the tabling of the Niles Report. This triggered a
comprehensive joint federal-provincial environmental impact assessment in 2002, completed in 2005,
which recommended the construction of a partial bridge to completely restore fish passage and comply
with the Federal Fisheries Act. The federal-provincial agreement of 2002 stipulated that the federal and
provincial governments would share the costs of the Petitcodiac River Restoration Project equally.
The Petitcodiac River Restoration Project, valued at approximately $70 million, was initiated in July 2008
and comprises of three phases: preparation (Phase 1, completed in March 2010), the opening of the
causeway gates and monitoring (Phase 2, which will continue until 2012) and the construction of a partial
bridge, which should normally start in spring 2012. You can read the project description at
www.petitcodiac.com for further details.
RESULTS SUMMARY - see attachment
