- Publié par : Raissa Marks
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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
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2010, the federal government still has to confirm its intentions in regards to the Petitcodiac River
Restoration Project. In the context of the federal elections, Petitcodiac Riverkeeper sent a
questionnaire to each regional candidate to know their positions.
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 2006, which recommended the construction of a partial bridge to restore the river’s
ecosystem and allow fish passage to comply with the Federal Fisheries Act. The federalprovincial
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 in total, was
initiated in July 2008 and comprises of three phases: the last phase, the construction of a partial
bridge, should normally be completed in 2013 or 2014. Our federal representatives’ must
commit to do their share” insists Marco Morency, the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper.
The organisation sent the short questionnaire to all candidates of riding covering the Petitcodiac
watershed. The results will be released publicly in the coming weeks. In the last
elections, almost all applicants argued that the federal government should contribute at least 50%
towards the cost of the restoration project.
- Publié par : Tashina Thomas
- Affichages : 1765
Est-ce que votre groupe à des ressources que vous voudriez partager avec des enseignants? Le 6 mai, il y aura un kiosque de l'Alliance pour l’éducation à la viabilité au conseil des enseignants anglophones du secondaire. Si vous possédez des ressources appropriées pour les enseignants anglophones du secondaire que vous aimeriez exposer, veuillez contacter Raïssa avant la fin du mois.
- Publié par : Tashina Thomas
- Affichages : 1839
Liz Smith, la déléguée depuis longtemps du groupe de travail du Nouveau-Brunswick sur les pesticides a soumis un rapport sur une récente rencontre de ce groupe. Il faut prendre note que la loi provinciale sur les pesticides est maintenant sujette à une révision. Si vous voulez lire le rapport complet de Liz, faites-le-nous encore savoir.
Vous demandez-vous comment les groupes au Canada pourraient mieux relier leurs efforts concertés sur la protection de l’eau? Eh bien, le Réseau rivières Canada se le demande aussi, et il vous demande de remplir un questionnaire pour vous aider!