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Elerts from 2005 and before

Time for the federal government to get rid of dangerous chemicals

From the Canadian Environmental Law Association, Adapted by the Watershed Sentinel

August 2006

Canada has identified 4000 substances that may be considered toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Now it is time for Canada to act to eliminate persistent, bioaccumulative toxic substances and start pollution prevention.

Industry lobbying is intense as the federal government’s September 13, 2006 deadline approaches, requiring it to announce the results and strategy for action on these substances.

After years of preparation time, Health Canada and Environment Canada still have no coherent, comprehensive plans or timelines for banning, phasing out or even simply regulating the worst substances.

The public interest voice needs to be heard . Please write to the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment Ambrose.R@parl.gc.ca and the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health Clement.T@parl.gc.ca urging them to require action plans and timelines for elimination and reduction of the most hazardous substances identified (See backgrounder). Please send a copy to your local media.

More Detail: Recommend these Actions

We urge you to join us in making the following demands for fast action on the most hazardous substances, and a sound strategy for the rest. Such action plans must include toxics use reduction plans, substitution with less harmful substances, and an overall transition to safer alternatives.

The federal government needs to protect Canadians from exposure to toxic chemicals by committing to the following:

• Substances that are persistent, bioaccumulative and inherently toxic should be immediately placed on the List of Toxic Substances (Schedule 1 of CEPA) unless toxicity data submitted by industry demonstrate no harm to human health and the environment. These substances should be banned or virtually eliminated within one year of such listing.
• The highest priority substances identified by Environment Canada and Health Canada should be assessed within 2 years and, for any substance found to be toxic under CEPA, a toxics use reduction plan should be in place within one more year. The plan should be implemented within two further years.
• Substances that are carcinogenic and/or capable of reproductive or neuro-developmental toxicity should be considered inherently toxic and targeted for elimination.
• Industry should be required to provide toxicity data in a timely manner for substances identified through categorization. Failure to provide data should result in a substance being targeted for phase out or a ban.
• Clear thresholds and criteria for conducting assessments should be developed and publicly reviewed. Screening assessments should take no longer than 2 years and the timeline for completion of full assessments should be shortened from 5 years to 4 years.
• Substances that meet the criteria for categorization should be added to the list of pollutants reported under Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) so their releases and transfers can be tracked.

We urge you to write to the Ministers of Health and Environment, and to provide copies to your local media.

Honourable Rona Ambrose and Honourable Tony Clement

Minister of Environment and Minister of Health

House of Commons  Ottawa , Ontario K1A 0A6

Fax: (613) 996-0785

EMail: Ambrose.R@parl.gc.ca   EMail: Clement.T@parl.gc.ca

For more information, see the backgrounder on the Canadian Environmental Law website: http://www.cela.ca/newsevents/detail.shtml?x=2694

Submission of PollutionWatch to House of Commons and Senate environment committees on the CEPA Review: http://www.cela.ca/publications/cardfile.shtml?x=2648.

CELA’s “Reviewing CEPA” collection at: http://www.cela.ca/coreprograms/detail.shtml?x=2139

Fisheries Act Attack

Is that a Lake or a Mine Tailings Pond? May 4, 2006

Environment Canada and Department of Fisheries and Oceans are amending the regulation under the Fisheries Act which controls pollution from mines. Among other changes, they propose to designate a natural lake, Trout Pond, in Newfoundland as a Tailings Impoundment Area, so that the Fisheries Act no longer applies to pollution in that lake. The addition of Trout Pond to the MMER amendments could set a precedent for using new lakes as tailings dumps all across Canada

The environmentalists from the Canadian Environmental Network who have been monitoring the situation say: “In our opinion…Environment Canada and DFO are in very real danger of setting the precedent that any waterbody in Canada, including fish-bearing waterbodies, can be re-defined as tailings impoundment areas (i.e., mining waste dumps). “ There is reason to suspect that at least at least 18 new mines in Canada (including some in BC) are lining up to get onto this list.

The change has been posted to the Canada Gazette. The public has only until Monday May 7th to comment. The comments must be in your own words.

Please write to Patrick Finlay at Environment Canada at patrick.finlay@ec.gc.ca and send copies to: gmueller@pco-bcp.gc.ca; joan@miningwatch.ca; and editor@watershedsentinel.ca

(Georgette Muller, PCO Policy Analyst, Joan Kuyek, MiningWatch Canada National Coordinator, and the Watershed Sentinel.)

The reference is Re: Schedule Two of the proposed amendments to the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation (MMER) as posted in the Canada Gazette, (Gazette Part I, April 8, 2006, Vol. 140, No. 14, p. 771)

For more information see Mining Watch Canada http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/aur/mmer_urgent_action

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Watershed Sentinel E-lert – Get the news about hot issues, which just can't wait until press time. We're very very selective, and use our extensive knowledge of the state of environmental politics to filter this news, just like we carefully select what goes in the Watershed Sentinel magazine. You'll receive an E-lert ONLY when we think your letters might actually make a difference, or there is some effective action you can take immediately.

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