Surrey BC, December 1, 2012 – Thomas Mulcair, Leader of the Official Opposition and NDP M.P. for Outremont, Québec met with citizens of Surrey and Delta on Friday afternoon to assess the impact of recent federal legislation on the local environment.
The roundtable discussion was organized by Surrey MPs Jasbir Sindhu and Jinny Sims, and attended by recognized environmental leaders in the Fraser South region, including Deb Jack, Liz Walker and George Zaklin.
The meeting was held due to the enactment of recent federal "omnibus" budget legislation, so-called because the bills are hundreds of pages long and amend many different acts at once. The changes have removed substantial portions of long-standing environmental regulations. In particular, recent changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act reduced the number of waterways protected by law from many thousands to less than 200 nationwide.
The rollback of environmental protections comes at a time when local officials have been advocating for additional protections for South Fraser River Delta wetlands, after their recognition in September as a "Ramsar Site" of international ecological importance. "The Ramsar designation carries moral weight, but not legal weight," noted Eliza Olson, president of the Burns Bog Conservation Society. "This new status will not save our wetlands, not without the help of responsible government."
Bear Creek, Serpentine River, Boundary Bay, and Burns Bog were raised as subjects of particular concern. Mr. Mulcair spoke of the critical importance of ensuring the conservation of remaining wetlands in Canada, arguing that strict legislation modelled after Quebec's should be implemented at a federal level. He noted that the profitability of rezoning these sensitive ecosystems for development was simply too great, and had to be restricted by law to ensure developers would not attempt to influence government officials for their own benefit.
Senior Science and Policy Advisor to the David Suzuki Foundation John Werring noted that with the removal of federal restrictions on waterways, the duty of protecting the environment falls to the municipal sector. "Our municipalities cannot look to the federal government for guidance right now," said Eliza Olson. "They need to step up and do their job. They have a moral duty to their constituents to protect these sensitive wetlands. Just because it's legal, doesn't mean it's right."
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Nicholas Ellan
604-572-0373
communications@burnsbog.org
http://burnsbogconservationsociety.cmail5.com/t/r-l-urluhht-yhhteikd-r/