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- Winnipeg Wastewater Environmental Hearings Extended
- Court Agrees With Pikangikum First Nation
- Kyoto Protocol Signed by Canada
- Environmentalist Receives Jubilee Medal
- Premiers Adopt Climate Change Principles
- UMA Engineering To Do Road Study
- Parks Announcement
- Taiga Rescue Network Conference
- Manitoba Hydro Redesigns Mural
- Manitoba Hydro Renews Xcel Energy Agreement
- Kyoto & Beyond: Manitoba Releases Targets
- Sierra Club Rio Grades Released
Winnipeg Wastewater Environmental Hearings Extended |
January 2003 |
 On Tuesday, January 28, 2003, the Clean Environment Commission requested that the City of Winnipeg provide additional information to assist in its review of the City's wastewater collection and treatment system.The Commission advised that it will be seeking the specific involvement of various ferderal government departments in the current review, including a request that information respecting the federal investigation into the City's September 16th raw sewage spill be made available to the Commission. The Commission advised that public hearings concerning the City's wastewater collection and treatment system would reconvene in early April, 2003. To view the complete text of the Commission's instructions for the first and second set of hearings, click here. |
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The Pikangikum First Nation has won a victory in court, in December 2002. The band argued it wasn't consulted about having an "Indian agent".
On December 10, 2002, Members of Parliament in the House of Commons voted (195 in favour, 77 against) to ratify the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The agreement, which was negotiated by more than 160 countries in 1997, commits Canada to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012, requiring a 20 to 30 per cent reduction from current emissions.
The Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was awarded, late in November 2002, to Manitoba environmentalist Gaile Whelan Enns. Ms Whelan Enns represented World Wildlife Fund Canada in Manitoba for several years as coordinator of the Endangered Spaces Campaign (ESC). The Campaign, launched in l990, set a national goal of completing representative networks of protected areas for every natural region in Canada. An additional thirty five million hectares of Canadian public land were protected from development, especially mining, forestry, and hydro development, during the decade long campaign. Many of these protected area decisions resulted from nominations or land claims and community consent from Canada's First Nations.
Premiers Adopt Climate Change Principles |
29 October 2002 |
 Canada's Joint Meeting of Energy and Environment Ministers met in
late October to discuss the Kyoto Protocol, and the federal framework
on climate change that was announced on October 28. At their October
29 meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Premiers adopted a set of principles
as the basis needed for a Canadian national climate change plan. They
also called for a First Ministers (Premiers) meeting on climate change
policy prior to any federal decision on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Access the set of climate change principles here. Access the Joint Energy and Environment Ministers press release here. |
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In October 2002, UMA Engineering of Winnipeg wrote to communities and stakeholders to inform them that their company has been "contracted by Manitoba Transportation and Government Services to undertake a functional design study for the upgrading and extension of the Rice River Road to the Bloodvein First Nation." This is the intended main stem of the East Side Highway, built in increments as a logging road for Tembec's mill in Pine Falls Manitoba. The current logging road fragments landscape units not yet included in Manitoba's protected areas network.Parks Announcement |
26 September 02 |
 Premier Gary Doer announced regulatory steps regarding Parks in Manitoba at a September 26 ceremony held at the Trappist Monastery in St. Norbert, a community within southern greater Winnipeg. The Trappist Monastery, now permanently designated as a heritage park, has been a community and cultural gathering place for many years. Permanent protection of Caribou River Park, as of May 2002, was announced. Arrived at with the consent of the Sayisi Dene community of Tadoule Lake, the permanent protected status for Caribou River Park was included in the 2002 Canadian Nature Federation protected areas grade for Manitoba. (See earlier News items.) The lands in this former park reserve have been protected by regulation, since 1995. The Premier also indicated the Manigotogan park reserve designation would be extended, so as to complete consultations and work towards tripling the river corridor. Premier Doer told those attending that "we are committed to protecting this spectacular river." The Manigotogan park reserve is currently not protected land, is classified to allow development. The East Paint Lake park reserve, under interim protection status since 1997, was also extended. This allows for completion of technical work. Two park reserves will be the subject of upcoming announcements - Amisk park reserve, protected from development since 1995, and South Atikaki park reserve, non classified land. Premier Doer reconfirmed Manitoba's intention to establish the Manitoba Lowlands national park. Under study since the 1970's, with a federal-provincial MOU to establish the park in place for ten years, and joint government boundaries in place since 1996, the Manitoba Lowlands is one of Canada's most wanted national parks. Prime Minister Chretien has made recent commitments for speedy action on outstanding national parks, including Manitoba Lowlands. Premier Doer's statement that "turning Manitoba Lowlands into a national park is a priority and we will continue to work with Ottawa to complete this process" should lead to early interim protection on the components of the national park at Limestone Bay and Long Point. For more information see the Canadian Nature Federation. No mention of Manitoba's Action Plan for a Network of Protected Areas, or specifics as to protection standards for wilderness or back country zones in Manitoba's parks was contained in the announcement or press release. To access the government of Manitoba press release go here. |
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| Caribou River Provincial Park Plan | Park Maps | |||
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Taiga Rescue Network Conference |
September 2002 |
 Winnipeg, Canada, 20 - 26 September 2002The 'Forests of the Northern Lights' Conference is being hosted by the Boreal Forest Network, the North American affiliate of the Taiga Rescue Network (TRN), and will be the sixth biennial conference organized by the TRN since its inception. Visit TRN Conferences page to find out more information. Or, check out Boreal Forest Network page for information about the conference. |
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Forest Action Network (FAN) activists from British Columbia recently altered the several storey high mural on a Manitoba Hydro office building. The mural depicted a baby, and promoted the public utility's 'PowerSmart' program for residential energy efficiency upgrades. The building location is on Winnipeg's busiest main thoroughfare.Manitoba Hydro Renews Xcel Energy Agreement | 9 August 2002 |
 On August 9, 2002, Manitoba Hydro signed a ten-year agreement with Minnesota-based Xcel Energy for export of 500 megawatts of electricity from Manitoba to Minnesota starting in 2005. Although the terms and conditions are different, the new deal effectively replaces an existing 500 megawatt contract that began in 1993 and expires in 2005. This new contract will not require any new generating facilities in Manitoba nor will it require changes in Manitoba's system operations.For Manitoba Hydro releases about development intentions, please go to their web site by clicking here. Download Manitoba Hydro Xcel Press Release (DOC) | |
Kyoto & Beyond: Manitoba Releases Targets | 19 June 2002 |
 June 19, 2002 - While the federal consultation workshop regarding Kyoto was being held in Winnipeg, the Manitoba government released its calculations and intended actions to reach Kyoto objectives.For more on this story, go to our Climate Change page. | |
Sierra Club Rio Grades Released | June 2002 |
 In June 2002, the Sierra Club Canada (SCC) released its annual report card based on commitments made at the Earth Summit ten years ago. This year, in preparation for the World Summit in Johannesburg, SCC assessed governments in Canada on their support or rejection of Kyoto.For more about Manitoba's grade and the rest of Canada, go to the Sierra Club of Canada site. View Report | |
