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- Province Announces Route Selection Process
- Suzuki Delivers Cross-Country Tour Report
- Nunavut & Manitoba Plan Road Link
- Final Responses - 2007 Election Survey
- US Issues Gag Order on Discussing Polar Bears
- 'Step It Up 2007' a Raging Success
- US Polls Show Increased Environmental Concerns
- Manitoban Wins Goldman Environmental Prize
- Global Standard for Medicinal Plants Set
- IPY Brings Arctic and Antarctic Research
- Ontario Praised for New Species Legislation
- End of Incandescent Light Bulbs?
| Province Announces Route Selection Process | 02 May 07 |
 Manitoba is committing funds for construction and upgrades to the Rice River Road on Manitoba's east side. The announcement of $15 million was made April 5, 2007. The Government also announced a route selection process for an east side all-weather road system on April 20, 2007.The Rice River Road funds are to be spent over five years to extend the existing roadbed to Bloodvein River First Nation and upgrade the 90 km route, creating bridge links. The announcement did not provide information regarding the environmental review and licensing process. The Rice River Road is the first section of an all-weather road system for the east side of Lake Winnipeg. The route selection process will involve "extensive consultations with affected communities" to examine options for all-weather road access. The request for proposals will be issued later in 2007. A 2000 preliminary scoping study estimated the cost of an all-weather transportation network for Manitoba's east side at close to $1 million per kilometer. The full road system for the east side requires several hundred kilometers. Detailed socio-economic, environmental and economic analyses of the costs and benefits of potential routes have not yet been undertaken. To date there has been no commitment by Canada's federal government to share costs for such a network. In the face of climate change community access needs have increased. View the April 5, 2007 Government of Manitoba press release View the April 20, 2007 Government of Manitoba press release Visit Manitoba Wildlands' Transportation section for more information Source: Government of Manitoba
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| Suzuki Delivers Cross-Country Tour Report | 02 May 07 |
 Dr. David Suzuki delivered the environmental priorities and vision of more than 30,000 Canadians to Canada's political leaders in an April 20, 2007 Ottawa news conference. The comments were collected during his month-long cross-Canada "If YOU were Prime Minister" tour that visited 41 communities in February 2007.Audiences packed theatres, churches and community halls, at every venue during the tour. Manitoba Wildlands hosted the Winnipeg event. Suzuki brought a list of recommendations with him to give to the Canadian government. He said Canadians want a national sustainability plan, instead of patchwork programs. Five themes emerged during the tour:
Dr. Suzuki also met with Environment Minister John Baird - a day after he appeared before a Senate committee armed with a study that asserts meeting Kyoto emissions reduction targets would result in a recession, massive job losses and a large spike in gas prices. Dr. Suzuki blasted the federal report, and its 'climate of fear' saying the government is ignoring the costs of failing to address climate change. View April 20, 2007 David Suzuki Foundation press release View summary of Dr. David Suzuki's "If YOU Were Prime Minister" tour View tour report, A Country Too Cool to Lose (PDF) View April 20, 2007 CanWest News Service article in the National Post View April 20, 2007 CBC article View Manitoba Wildlands news items: April 2, February 22, January 24 & February 9, 2007 Sources: David Suzuki Foundation, CanWest News Service, CBC
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| Nunavut & Manitoba Plan Road Link | 02 May 07 |
 Nunavut and Manitoba and Kivalliq Inuit Association have funded a study and public input process to determine the route for a road link between Rankin Inlet and Manitoba.The Manitoba-Nunavut road is intended to be a winter road, with eventual up-grade to an all-weather, all-season road. From Rankin Inlet, the route will proceed south to connect with Manitoba's all-weather road system at Lynn Lake, Thompson or Gillam. The Port of Churchill will also be connected. A technical study identified all-weather road route alternatives. These were generated by the consultant team and presented to the Project Advisory Council and general public during the first round of community meetings, October 2006. Based on input and technical analysis the consultant team reduced the alternative routes to three and then determined a favoured route. A second round of northern meetings was held February 2007. Stakeholders and communities were asked to provide input in order to confirm and refine the preferred route. No records or summaries of public meetings have been posted on the Manitoba-Nunavut Road Study process website. No public meetings have been held in Winnipeg and Manitobans have not been notified of meetings or offered the opportunity to provide feedback on proposed route alternatives. This is unusual, including nothing is posted in the Manitoba public registry. It is unclear when an Environment Act proposal for the preferred route will be filed. View for 2005-06 first round of public meetings and materials View 2007 newsletter that includes map of three alternative routes and analytical tool (PDF) View 2007 second round of public meetings, materials Source: Nishi-Khon/SNC-Lavalin
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| Final Responses - 2007 Election Survey | 30 April 07 |
 With Manitobans gearing up for their May 22 provincial election, all four Manitoba political parties have now responded to Manitoba Wildlands' pre-election (now election) survey.The survey was first circulated to party leaders in late February, with a request for responses to be provided by March 7th. Manitoba Wildlands posted responses from the three political parties that answered the survey in late March. NDP staff repeatedly indicated the survey would be answered. The Manitoba NDP only provided its response April 27, 2007. Manitoba Wildlands Director Gaile Whelan Enns expressed her slight bewilderment and frustration, "Manitoba's governing party should be in the best position to respond to questions in an election survey. This survey is straightforward so that a simple 'yes' or 'no' addresses each question". View Manitoba Wildlands' 2007 pre-election survey questions and responses Go directly to questions and responses about: Energy; Manitoba Hydro; Climate Change; Parks, Protected Areas, World Heritage Site; Public Access to Information & Consultations; Licences; Water; Land Use Planning; Government; CEC / PUB View Previous Manitoba Wildlands news items: March 1 & March 22, 2007 View Manitoba Wildlands' February 21, 2007 letter to all four Manitoba political parties (PDF) View the March 16, 2007 letter from Premier Doer's office (PDF) View Manitoba Wildlands' April 16, 2007 letter to the Manitoba NDP Leader (PDF) Visit Manitoba Wildlands' Elections page Source: Manitoba Wildlands
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| US Issues Gag Order on Discussing Polar Bears | 26 April 07 |
 The Bush Administration has once again been accused of gagging US government scientists by ordering federal wildlife officials headed for international meetings on polar bears not to talk about how climate change and melting ice are affecting the imperiled animals. Memorandums issued in late February and leaked in early March 2007 put strict limits on what US Fish and Wildlife Service employees could discuss at meetings in Norway and Russia. The policy will also apply for trips to Canada and "any northern country." Couched as a "new requirement" for foreign travelers on US government business, one memo says that requests for foreign travel "involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice, and/or polar bears" require special handling, including notice of who will be the official spokesman for the trip. H. Dale Hall, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service also said in a phone news briefing that the restrictions are "consistent with staying with our commitment to the other countries to talk about only what's on the agenda". Two senior House Democrats also demanded on March 9, 2007 that Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne turn over documents to Congress in order to determine whether the administration was preventing federal scientists traveling abroad from discussing how global warming affects polar bears. View the March 8, 2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer article View the March 9, 2007 Reuters article View the March 10, 2007 Independent Online article View the March 10, 2007 Washington Post article Sources: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Reuters, Independent Online, Washington Post
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| 'Step It Up 2007' a Raging Success | 26 April 07 |
 Over 1400 events held across North America on April 14, 2007 were part of the 'Step It Up 2007' day of action on Global Warming. Citizens came together to demand governments get serious about climate change and commit to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In Canada, rallies were held in Toronto and Vancouver.The continent-wide events were spearheaded by a group of recent graduates from Vermont's Middlebury College, who organized a campaign of blogs, e-mail messages and word of mouth communications along with author Bill McKibben. McKibben is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College and was among the first to write about global warming in his 1989 book The End of Nature. Visit the Step It Up 2007 website Visit the Canadian website for Step It Up 2007 View the Global National video report on the 'Step It Up 2007' rallies View the April 14, 2007 Associated Press article on CNEWS View the April 18, 2007 Environmental News Service article View Bill McKibben's blog on The Grist website Sources: The Grist, Step It Up, Associated Press
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| US Polls Show Increased Environmental Concerns | 26 April 07 |
 Two recent US polls indicate a growing awareness amongst Americans that global warming is a serious problem with increased support action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.According the Yale Center of Environmental Law and Policy's Environmental Attitudes and Behavior Project poll conducted from February 5 to 11, 2007, 83% of Americans say global warming is a "serious" problem, up from 70% in 2004. Americans have serious concerns about environmental threats, such as toxic soil and water (92%, up from 85% in 2004), deforestation (89%, up from 78%), air pollution (93%, up from 87%) and the extinction of wildlife (83%, up from 72% in 2005). Most dramatically, the survey of 1,000 adults nationwide shows 63% of Americans agree the United States "is in as much danger from environmental hazards, such as air pollution and global warming, as it is from terrorists." Dan Esty, director of Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy says the United States is in the midst of a "revolution," and the business community is embracing the profit potential of a burgeoning green consumer movement. Meanwhile, Gallup's annual Environment survey, updated March 11-14, 2007, finds the overwhelming majority of Americans support environmental proposals to strengthen government restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and spend more taxpayer money to develop alternative sources of fuel and energy. Americans in favor of setting higher emissions and pollution standards for industry, rose from 77% in March 2006 to 84% in March 2007. View the April 5, 2007 Gallup News Service article View the March 12, 2007 Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy release (PDF) View key findings of the Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy 2007 Survey on American Attitudes on the Environment (PDF) Sources: Yale Centre for Environmental Law and Policy, Gallup News Service
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| Manitoban Wins Goldman Environmental Prize | 23 April 07 |
 A Manitoban First Nations woman, who spent many years working to protect the boreal forest in Manitoba is among the six winners from around the world to receive this year's prestigious International Goldman Environmental Prize, the largest prize of it's kind in the world.Sophia Rabliauskas, working with her community, Poplar River First Nation, succeeded in securing interim protection for 800,000 hectares of undisturbed forest in 1999. The current regulation effectively protects these lands from industrial development. There is also a First Nation lead boreal forest World Heritage Site nomination, which includes these lands. The traditional territory of the Poplar River First Nation - 1,200 members of the Ojibway people - is located on the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, and forms a significant part of Canada's boreal forest. The First Nation completed its lands plan, which calls for permanent protection, in 2005. Manitoba has yet to move these lands from interim to permanent protection. There have only been four other Canadian winners in the 18-year history of the award. They include Norma Kassi (2002); Bernard Martin (1999); Matthew Coon Come (1994), and Colleen McCrory (1992). View the Poplar River First Nation website & Lands Plan View the Manitoba Wildlands Brief on Poplar River First Nation (PDF) View the April 22, 2007 Goldman Environmental Prize release regarding Manitoba (DOC) View the April 22, 2007 Winnipeg Free Press: Slide show, article 1(DOC) & article 2(DOC) View the April 22, 2007 CBC article Sources: Goldman Foundation, Manitoba Wildlands, Poplar River First Nation
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| Global Standard for Medicinal Plants Set | 19 April 07 |
 A new standard to promote sustainable management and trade of wild medicinal and aromatic plants was launched at February's World Organic Trade Fair. Following extensive consultation with plant experts and the herbal products industry, the International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, ISSC-MAP, was drawn up by the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. The standard is based on six principles - maintaining medicinal and aromatic plant resources in the wild, preventing negative environmental impacts, legal compliance, respecting customary rights, applying responsible management practices, and applying responsible business practices. Almost 70,000 species are involved, many of them in danger of over-exploitation or extinction through over-harvesting and habitat loss. Of the 70,000 species covered by the standard, approximately 15,000, or 21% are at risk, according to the report. More than 400,000 metric tons of medicinal and aromatic plants are traded every year; about 80% of these species are harvested from the wild. View the February 20, 2007 Environmental News Service article View the 2007 IUCN report, International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP), Version 1.0 (PDF) Source: Environmental News Service
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| IPY Brings Arctic and Antarctic Research | 19 April 07 |
 The launch of International Polar Year (IPY) by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), took place March 2007, and marks the beginning of the largest internationally coordinated scientific research effort in 50 years.Over the course of 2007 - 2008, thousands of scientists, from over 60 countries and a wide range of disciplines, will carry out 220 science and outreach projects aimed at increased understanding of how Arctic and Antarctic regions are changing. At the Canadian launch, held jointly in Ottawa and Whitehorse, the Canadian federal government announced projects that will be funded by a $150 million Canadian contribution. Recent research paints a startling picture of changes to ice in the polar regions. Some of the largest glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland are moving in unusual ways and losing increased amounts of ice to the sea. The IPY comes at a time when the planet's future is at a crossroads; February's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted the fact that these regions are highly vulnerable to rising temperatures. Visit the International Polar Year website View the February 26, 2007 International Polar Year press release (PDF) View the March 1, 2007 CBC News article View the March 16, 2007 Washington Post article View the March 16, 2007 Telegraph article View the March 16, 2007 Guardian Unlimited article View the March 16, 2007 LA Times article View abstracts of polar studies in the journal Science: one, two Sources: International Polar Year, Washington Post, Telegraph, Guardian Unlimited, LA Times
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| Ontario Praised for New Species Legislation | 16 April 07 |
 The Government of Ontario is poised to enact the strongest endangered species legislation in Canada. Environmental groups have praised the proposed legislation, introduced in the Ontario legislature March 20, 2007. The Act, along with stewardship funding and incentives package presents a win-win solution to protecting endangered plants and animals while addressing the concerns of landowners and resource users.The Ontario government is trying to move the Act through various legislative stages before the October 2007 provincial election. Ontario is home to over 175 species considered at risk, including the peregrine falcon and woodland caribou. However, the legislation is running into opposition from farmers and the forest industry that say it could have a devastating economic impact. They claim the Act doesn't have enough money to compensate farmers who could be prevented from harvesting a crop if they come across an endangered plant or animal. Visit the S.O.S. (Save Ontario's Species) website View the SOS press releases: March 20, March 30, 2007 (PDF) View articles from the Toronto Star: March 26, 2007 (PDF), March 29, 2007 (Canadian Press) View the March 21, 2007 Canadian Press article in Hamilton Spectator View the March 20, 2007 CBC News article View the March 20, 2007 Government of Ontario press release Sources: SOS, Canadian Press, Government of Ontario, CBC
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| End of Incandescent Light Bulbs? | 16 April 07 |
 Australia will be the first country to ban the incandescent bulbs in favour of energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), including a complete phase out by 2009. European homes, offices, factories and streets will have to use energy-efficient lighting by the end of the decade. Lawmakers in California, New Jersey, the United Kingdom, Canada, and a growing number of other locales are may follow Australia and the EU.According to a 2006 International Energy Agency (IEA) report, lighting absorbs nearly one-fifth of global electricity generation, more than is produced by hydro or nuclear stations and results in CO2 emissions equivalent to two thirds of the world's cars. A global switch to efficient lighting systems could cut the world's electricity bill by one-tenth. Incandescent lamps have been in use since the 19th century and still have an energy-to-light conversion efficiency of just 5%, which is five times lower than equivalent good-quality compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). View the March 5, 2007 Worldwatch Institute article View the March 9, 2007 Reuters article View a summary of the 2006 International Energy Agency report, Light's Labour's Lost (PDF) View the April 18, 2007 CNW Telbec article Sources: Worldwatch Institute, Reuters, IEA
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