Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; French: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada; formerly Environment Canada (EC); legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment) is the department of the Government of Canada created under the Department of the Environment Act
with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and
programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and
renewable resources. The powers, duties and functions of the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
extend to and include matters relating to: "preserve and enhance the
quality of the natural environment, including water, air, soil, flora
and fauna; conserve Canada's renewable resources; conserve and protect
Canada's water resources;
forecast daily weather conditions and warnings, and provide detailed
meteorological information to all of Canada; enforce rules relating to
boundary waters; and coordinate environmental policies and programs for
the federal government."
Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999) (R.S., 1999, c. 33), ECCC became the lead federal department to ensure the cleanup of hazardous waste and oil spills
for which the government is responsible, and to provide technical
assistance to other jurisdictions and the private sector as required.
The department is also responsible for international environmental
issues (e.g., Canada-USA air issues). CEPA was the central piece of
Canada's environmental legislation but was replaced when budget
implementation bill (C-38) entered into effect in June 2012.
Under the Constitution of Canada, responsibility for environmental management in Canada
is a shared responsibility between the federal government and
provincial governments. For example, provincial governments have primary
authority for resource management including permitting industrial waste
discharges (e.g., to the air). The federal government is responsible
for the management of toxic substances in the country (e.g., benzene). The department provides stewardship of the Environmental Choice Program,
which provides consumers with an eco-labelling for products
manufactured within Canada or services that meet international label
standards of (GEN) Global Ecolabelling Network.
The department continues (2005–present) to undergo a structural
transformation to centralize authority and decision-making, and to
standardize policy implementation.
Weather and Environmental Operations (Regional Weather Operations)
Weather and Environmental Prediction and Services (Defence Weather Services, Marine and Ice Services (Canadian Ice Service), National Weather Predictions, Weatheradio Canada, a national system of emergency weather broadcast transmitters)
Parks Canada, which manages the Canadian National Parks
system, was removed from Environment Canada and became an agency
reporting to the Minister of Heritage in 1998. In 2003, responsibility
for Parks Canada was returned to the Minister of the Environment.
Enforcement
The Enforcement Branch is responsible for ensuring compliance with several federal statutes. The Governor-in-Council appoints enforcement officers and pursuant to section 217(3) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, enforcement officers have all the powers of peace officers.
There are two designations of enforcement officers: Environmental
Enforcement and Wildlife Enforcement. The former administers the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and pollution provisions of the Fisheries Act and corresponding regulations. The latter enforces
Migratory Birds Convention Act, Canada Wildlife Act, Species at Risk Act and The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.
All officers wear dark green uniform with black ties and a badge
(appear on the right). Environmental Enforcement Officers only carry baton and OC spray whereas Wildlife Enforcement Officers are also equipped with firearm.
On March 4, 2009, a bill to increase the enforcement capabilities of the department was introduced into the House of Commons.
The Environmental Enforcement Bill would increase the fines for
individuals and corporations for serious offenses, give enforcement
officers new powers to investigate cases and grants courts new
sentencing authorities that ensure penalties reflect the seriousness of
the pollution and wildlife offences.
Enforcement of: Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (EIHWHRMR)
The
Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material
Regulations (EIHWHRMR) operates with a few basic premises, one of which
being that electronic waste
is either "intact" or "not intact". The various annexes define
hazardous waste in Canada, and also deem any waste that is
"...considered or defined as hazardous under the legislation of the
country receiving it and is prohibited by that country from being
imported or conveyed in transit" to be covered under Canadian regulation
and therefore subject to prior informed consent procedures.
The loophole in the regulations that allows tons of e-waste to be
exported from Canada is the use of the definition of "intact" vs
"functional". A non-functioning electronic device that is intact can be
exported under the current legislation. What can't be exported without
prior informed consent is a non-functioning but no longer intact
electronic device (if the component pieces are deemed hazardous). The
principal problem being, the non-functioning but intact electronic
device is at high risk of being disassembled in some far away e-waste
dumping ground. The Canadian government's use of a unique
interpretation of the Basel Convention obligations "intact" and "not
intact" opens the door to uncontrolled e-waste exports as long as the
device is intact. See Canadian fact sheet and associated links.
Since Canada ratified the Basel Convention on August 28, 1992,
and as of August 2011, the Enforcement Branch has initiated 176
investigations for violations under EIHWHRMR, some of which are still in
progress. There have been 19 prosecutions undertaken for
non-compliance with the provisions of the EIHWHRMR some of which are
still before the courts. Electronic waste by country
2012 Budget Bill C-38, the Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act
Bill C-38, (June 2012), replaced the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 1992, 1999) with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Species at Risk Act, The National Energy Board Act, the Canadian Oil and Gas Operations Act, the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Fisheries Act (for example, closing the Experimental Lakes Area)
all underwent major changes under Bill-38. By placing the emphasis on
jobs, growth and prosperity significant changes have been made to the
federal environmental assessment regime (EA) and environmental
regulatory framework.
Minister of the Environment and the Kyoto Accord
In December 2011, Minister of the EnvironmentPeter Kent announced Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol one day after negotiators from nearly 200 countries meeting in Durban, South Africa at the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference
(November 28 – December 11), completed a marathon of climate talks to
establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions.[1] The Durban talks
were leading to a new binding treaty with targets for all countries to
take effect in 2020.
Kent argued that, "The Kyoto protocol does not cover the world's largest two emitters, the United States
and China, and therefore cannot work." In 2010 Canada, Japan and Russia
said they would not accept new Kyoto commitments. Canada is the only
country to repudiate the Kyoto Accord.
Kent argued that since Canada could not meet targets, it needed to avoid
the $14 billion in penalties for not achieving its goals. This decision drew widespread international response.
States for which the emissions are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol
(the US and China) have the largest emissions, being responsible for 41%
of the Kyoto Protocol. China's emissions increased by over 200% from
1990 to 2009.
Related legislation
The department administers and assists in the administration of
nearly c. 24 acts through regulations and through "voluntary and
regulated agreements with individuals or multiple parties in Canada and
elsewhere to define mutual commitments, roles and responsibilities and
actions on specific environmental issues."
"Recognizing the need for better environmental management, the federal government passed the Canada Water Act
in 1970 and created the Department of the Environment in 1971,
entrusting the Inland Waters Directorate with providing national
leadership for freshwater management. Under the Constitution Act
(1867), the provinces are "owners" of the water resources and have wide
responsibilities in their day-to-day management. The federal government
has certain specific responsibilities relating to water, such as
fisheries and navigation, as well as exercising certain overall
responsibilities such as the conduct of external affairs."
The Canada Water Act (proclaimed on September 30, 1970)
provides the framework for cooperation with provinces and territories in
the conservation, development, and utilization of Canada's water
resources. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999,
completes the framework for the protection and of water resources.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is the federal department in
charge of conserving and protecting Canada's water resources. The Water Act
(2000), a federal legislation, "supports and promotes the conservation
and management of water, including the wise allocation and use of
water.". The provinces are responsible for administering the Water Act(2000). In Alberta for example, Alberta Environment and Water is responsible for administering the Water Act (2000) and the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (2000). Provinces environmental ministries primarily lead Water for Life
(2003) programs. Provinces also implement and oversee "regulation of
municipal drinking water, wastewater, and storm drainage systems."
Canada Wildlife Act
Canada Wildlife Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. W-9) Amended in June 2012 by Bill C-38
'allows for the creation, management and protection of wildlife areas'
to preserve habitats, particularly for at risk species and requires
permits for specified activities in designated wildlife areas.
Impact Assessment Act (2019)
The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act
(2000) "supports and promotes the protection, enhancement, and wise use
of the environment. The Act's individual regulations cover a wide
range of activities, from beverage container recycling and pesticide
sales, potable water, to wastewater and storm drainage."
Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999)
Department of the Environment Act
Environment Week Act, Canadian
Fisheries Act (pollution prevention into fish bearing waters) (R.S., 1985, c. F-14)
Federal legislation such as the Fisheries Act (1985) have relevance for water management in the provinces.
International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (R.S., 1985, c. I-17)
International River Improvements Act
Lac Seul Conservation Act
Lake of the Woods Control Board Act
Manganese-Based Fuel Additives Act
Migratory Birds Convention Act
Federal legislation such as the Migratory Birds Convention Act (2000) also have relevance for water management in the provinces.
National Wildlife Week Act
Resources and Technical Surveys Act (R.S., 1985, c. R-7)
Species at Risk Act (2002)
Weather Modification Information Act
Weather Modification Information Act
Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Inter-provincial Trade Act
Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Inter-provincial Trade Act
Aerospace Fleet
Until
2010 the department operated several different aircraft for their
environmental studies. Although the department does not have a current
fleet of aircraft it contracts other branches of the government to
provide airborne research facilities.
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.
Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties
meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the
policy-making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions
(Resolutions and Recommendations) to administer the work of the
Convention and improve the way in which the Parties are able to
implement its objectives. COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2018.
The Upper Navua Conservation Area Ramsar Site in Fiji
Sustainable fishing in India, an example of wise use.
List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List")
Archipel Bolama-Bijagos Ramsar Site in Guinea-Bissau
The List of Wetlands of International Importance included 2,331 Ramsar Sites in May 2018 covering over 2.1 million square kilometres (810,000 sq mi). The countries with most sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. And, the country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with around 148,000 square kilometres (57,000 sq mi).
The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar Site.
International cooperation
Wadden Sea is a Transboundary Ramsar Site covering 13 Ramsar sites in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands
As of 2016 there are 18 Transboundary Ramsar Sites, and 15 Ramsar Regional Initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and South America.
International organization partners
The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:
These organizations support the work of the Convention by providing
expert technical advice, helping implement field studies, and providing
financial support. The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in
all meetings of the Conference of the Parties and as full members of the
Scientific and Technical Review Panel.
Other partners
The Convention collaborates with a network of partners:
Project funding bodies including global environmental funds, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors;
UN agencies such as UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and specific programmes such as UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme;
Non-governmental organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, the Society of Wetland Scientists, the International Association for Impact Assessment, and many others;
Since 1998 the Convention has also benefited from a strong partnership with the Danone Group including the Evian brand, and since 2007 from the Biosphere Connections partnership with the Star Alliance airline network.
Bodies established by the Convention
Conference of contracting Parties (COP)
This is the Convention's governing body consisting of all governments
that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress
under the Convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans
for members. The COP can also make amendments to the Convention, create
expert advisory bodies, review progress reports by member nations, and
collaborate with other international organizations and agreements.
The Standing Committee
The Standing Committee is the intersessional executive body which
represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework
of the decisions made by the COP. The Contracting Parties that are
members of the Standing Committee are elected by each meeting of the COP
to serve for the three years until the next one.
The Ramsar Secretariat offices in Gland, Switzerland
The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP)
The Scientific and Technical Review Panel provides scientific and
technical guidance to the Conference of the Parties, the Standing
Committee, and the Ramsar Secretariat.
The Secretariat
The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the
Convention's activities. It is based at the headquarters of the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland.
The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing
partnership between the Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and
the Convention Secretariat, with the advice of the subsidiary expert
body, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), and the support
of the International Organization Partners (IOPs).
Martha Rojas Urrego is the sixth Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
World Wetlands Day
A wetland clean-up in Oman on World Wetlands Day
The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking
the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February
1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for
humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997
and has grown remarkably since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was
celebrated in 59 countries.
History
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance – the "Ramsar Convention", was co-founded by Ezkandar Firouz
(former environment minister of Iran), Luc Hoffmann of Tour du Valat
research station in the Camargue in France, and Geoffrey Matthews of the
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in the late 1960s. The
conference which adopted the terms of the agreement was held in the
Iranian Caspian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971.
Point Pelee National Park (/ˈpiːliː/; French: Parc national de la Pointe-Pelée) is a national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word pelée
is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsula of land,
mainly of marsh and woodland habitats, that tapers to a sharp point as
it extends into Lake Erie. Middle Island, also part of Point Pelee National Park, was acquired in 2000 and is just north of the Canada–United States border in Lake Erie. Point Pelee is the southernmost point of mainland Canada,
and is located on a foundation of glacial sand, silt and gravel that
bites into Lake Erie. This spit of land is slightly more than seven
kilometres long by 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) wide at its northern base.
Established in 1918, Point Pelee was the first national park in Canada
to be established for conservation. It was designated as a Ramsar site on 27 May 1987.
History
Aboriginal people lived on Point Pelee for a long time before European colonization, dating back to at least 6,000 years. The largest archaeological site found at Point Pelee is thought to have been occupied between AD 700 and 900.
The name was given to the area by Fathers Dollier and Galinee when they passed through the area in 1670.
In the late 1700s, British naval reserves logged the area's white pine for shipbuilding.
In 1790, Deputy Indian Agent Alexander McKee negotiated a treaty with
Aboriginal communities that ceded a large tract of land, which included
Point Pelee, to the Crown. The Caldwell First Nation
Chippewa people, who inhabited Point Pelee, were not signatories of
that treaty. However, the Crown did not realize this, and their land was
ceded nonetheless. Subsequently, they were forced off their land, and
Point Pelee remains unceded aboriginal land. This has been publicly
acknowledged by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
Prior to the creation of the park, the Great Lakes Ornithological
Club was established to study bird migration. One of the members, Percy A. Taverner, and Canada's first Dominion Ornithologist, recommended Point Pelee be made a national park in 1915. Jack Miner had also pushed for the creation of the park by that time. Point Pelee was made a national park in 1918 at the urging of birdwatchers
and hunters. Commercial fishing continued in the park until 1969. Point
Pelee was the only Canadian national park to allow hunting until duck
hunting was ended in 1989. This site was named "Pointe-Pelée" (meaning
"bald point" by French explorers because the eastern side was rocky and had no trees).
Point Pelee was designated a dark-sky preserve in 2006, having become the first Canadian national park to be designated as such. In March 2006, high winds caused waves that washed away the sand point and all that remained was a platform.
In October 2007 the level of Lake Erie dropped enough to reveal the
point again extending at least a kilometre out into the water and at
least 7 metres (23 ft) wide with a winding curve shape to it. Since that time the sandy tip continues to shift, grow longer or shorter, or even detach temporarily, from year to year.
Geography
Pelee Island location
Located in the western parts of the St. Lawrence Lowlands, the park is a sandspit formation that extends 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) into Lake Erie and is up to 70 metres (230 ft) thick. With an area of only 1,564 hectares (3,860 acres), it is Canada's smallest national park. Most of the park (about 1,113 hectares (2,750 acres) or 70% of the park consists of marsh, dominated by cattails and ponds although forested areas make up a significant portion of the park, covering about 21% of the park. This sandspit is dominated by till plains which was formed during the last ice age during the advance and retreat of the Wisconsonian ice
on a submerged limestone ridge. As the glacier melted and retreated
northward, the Lake Erie basin began to fill with water. The movement of
sediments altered the coastline, resulting in the present day shape of
Point Pelee. Subsequently, over the centuries, a thin but rich soil has formed. Mineral soils in the park were mapped as well to rapidly drained Eastport sand, which has insignificant profile development. The marshes began to form about 3,200 years ago, based on carbon dating. This was also the same time when the sands began to deposit, forming the present day barriers.
The marsh has a closed drainage system owing to the separation of it by
two barriers along the east and west side, which usually prevents the
free exchange of water. However, when lake levels are higher, the marsh water levels fluctuate with the lake's water levels. The distinctive triangular shape at the southern tip of Point Pelee is caused by the convergence of these two barriers.
Middle Island, which is located south of the Point Pelee peninsula has
an area of approximately 18.5 hectares (46 acres) and is the southernmost point in Canada. Virtually all of Middle Island is forested.
Flora and fauna
Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) at Point Peele National Park in May 2010
Owing to its southernly location and the moderating effects of Lake
Erie, the climate in the park is slightly warmer than the rest of Canada and many Carolinian faunal species, which are rare in Canada are located here. Examples include the fox snake and the five-lined skink.
Because of its location at the crossroads of 2 major migration flyways,
about 347- 360 different species of migratory birds have been recorded
in the park and more than 100 species stay there for breeding. This total includes 102 waterfowl and shorebird species. Dominic Couzen's Top 100 Birding Sites of the World lists Point Pelee as #66. Coyotes and martens are also present within this park.
Many Carolinian floral species that are rare in Canada occur within the
park boundaries. The park contains more than 750 native plant species, of these 8 species are considered to be rare, endangered or threatened in Canada. Nearby Middle Island is designated provincially as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) due to its unique and rare assemblages of plants and animals.
Middle island is home to plants and animals that are characteristic of
the Carolinian ecozone of which nine species are at risk.
The diversity of vegetation in the marsh is the highest along the edge
of the marsh ponds and in the transitional zones between the terrestrial
environments and the marsh. Four different vegetation communities dominate in the marsh.
Climate
Point Pelee has a humid continental climate (Dfa under the Köppen climate classification) with warm, humid summers, and cold winters that is modified by the surrounding waters of Lake Erie. It lies in a zone that is characterized by variable weather due to conflict between polar and tropical air masses.
Its position in Lake Erie modifies its climate, resulting in warmer
winter and fall temperatures compared to inland regions, as the lake
cools more slowly than the surrounding land though during the spring,
temperatures remain cooler than inland areas due to the land warming
faster than the lake.
Winters are cold with a January average temperature of −3.9 °C
(25.0 °F). Owing to its position in Lake Erie, winter temperatures are
warmer than inland locations at a similar latitude due to the release of
the heat stored by the lake.
As a result, temperatures below −20 °C (−4.0 °F) are rare, with only
1.9 days where the temperature reaches or falls below −20 °C (−4.0 °F).
The maximum temperature usually stays below freezing on most days
although mild spells of weather can occur time to time. The park
receives 98.9 centimetres (38.9 in) of snowfall per year and there are
30.6 days with measurable snow. The park is not located in the snowbelt region, and snow cover is intermittent through the winter.
Summers are warm and humid with the warmest month, July, averaging 22.4 °C (72.3 °F), which is among the highest in Ontario. The surrounding lake moderates summertime temperatures, cooling the flow of warm air masses originating from the Gulf of Mexico and as a result, temperatures above 30 °C (86.0 °F) are rare, with only 4–8 days per year in the park.
From
a regional perspective, the park is isolated from other natural areas
because in Essex County, less than 6% of the native forest cover and 3%
of the wetlands remain intact. Much of the area (97% of it) has been altered and mostly converted for agriculture, industry or urban development. It is also located close to major urban areas.
Bird-watching
It
forms the southernmost point in mainland Canada (its latitude is the
same as that of the northernmost counties of California) and is part of a
bird and butterfly migration corridor over Lake Erie via Point Pelee
and the Lake Erie islands. Over 360 bird species have been recorded in
the park. The peak time for bird migration is spring, especially May, when tired migrants make first landfall after their journey north across the lake.
Many birdwatchers from North America and abroad visit the park in May, often staying in the nearby town of Leamington.
One attraction, apart from the sheer numbers and variety of bird
passing through on migration, is the opportunity to see more northerly
breeding species such as blackpoll warbler before they move on.
Occurrences
March 2017 marsh fire
On
29 March 2017, Point Pelee's marsh land was involved in a fire causing
over 125 hectares (310 acres) of marsh habitat to be destroyed. The fire
lasted 15 hours and was naturally extinguished due to rainfall the
following day.
Commemoration
Point
Pelee National Park was featured on a high-value ($5) postage stamp,
issued in 1983, as part of a series honoring national parks. The park
appeared on a stamp that was issued on 15 January 2018, with a $1.20
face value. The issue coincides with the park's centennial year, and is
part of a nine-stamp set featuring scenic views across the country.