Saint John - The public is being invited to submit nominations for the first Premier’s Awards for Energy Efficiency, which will showcase some of the best practices in energy efficiency in New Brunswick.

“These awards will provide us with the opportunity to recognize and applaud the efforts of individuals, communities, business and industry that are setting themselves apart as leaders in energy efficiency and helping to move us toward our climate change goals,” said Energy Minister Jack Keir.

The public and the business community are encouraged to nominate their peers, companies or communities for one or more of the following awards:

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  • Energy Efficiency Champion – commercial sector,
  • Energy Efficiency Champion – industrial sector,
  • Energy Efficiency Champion – residential sector,
  • Energy Efficiency Champion – manufacturer,
  • Energy Efficiency Champion – retailer,
  • Energy Efficiency Champion – individual, and
  • Outstanding Energy Efficiency Achievement – community award.

The deadline for nominations is April 15. A description of each award, along with the information about the nomination process, may be found at www.efficiencynb.ca/premiersawards.

Efficiency NB will select award recipients for an additional seven categories from among its exemplary program participants.

Fredericton – The provincial government will contribute $1.5 million to a new fund dedicated to maintaining the province’s wetlands, Premier Shawn Graham announced yesterday.

The Wetlands Sustainability Fund will enable Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to carry out ongoing maintenance of infrastructure on wetlands it maintains in New Brunswick. Currently, DUC has 371 projects in the province, covering a combined 20,539 hectares.

“Wetlands occupy a very important place in our natural environment, especially in the provision of clean water and by providing essential habitat for many species of flora and fauna,” said Graham. “Each of the wetland areas maintained by DUC has infrastructure such as dykes that require periodic reinvestments, and this fund will enable DUC to carry out this essential work.”

In New Brunswick, DUC will use capital and interest from the fund to maintain 217 water control structures, 59 fishways and 136 kilometres of dykes located primarily in the St. John River flood plain, the Northumberland Strait coastal plain, and the Tantramar area of the upper Bay of Fundy.
DUC will also contribute to the fund.

Mac Dunfield, senior Atlantic director for DUC, congratulated the government on its leadership in providing funding to protect its wetlands.
“Wetlands are a vital part of New Brunswick’s landscape, and in addition to providing homes for 600 species of wildlife and recreation areas for people, they provide a number of environmental benefits,” said Dunfield. “To see an investment of this magnitude validates the importance of wetlands and the work we do every day. It demonstrates that wetlands and the environment are valued by this government and all New Brunswickers.”

Natural Resources Minister Wally Stiles said that the new partnership is in keeping with the province’s Wetlands Conservation Policy.
“One of the guiding principles of this policy is to promote the acquisition and conservation of wetlands through partnerships with other stakeholders, including the private sector,” said Stiles. “The Department of Natural Resources has a long history of working with DUC to protect wetlands and migratory birds, and this is another example of the strength of that relationship.”

Graham said that work carried out under the fund is expected to generate about 50 jobs annually, mostly in rural New Brunswick. This includes employment for local heavy equipment contractors, suppliers of construction materials, and workers needed to maintain and rebuild water control structures, fishways, earth dykes and other infrastructure.
DUC is Canada’s premier wetland conservation organization, and has been conserving, restoring and managing wetlands and associated habitats since its inception in 1938.
Over the past 40 years, DUC has invested $85 million to conserve more than 40,460 hectares of critically important wetlands in the four Atlantic provinces, including about $40 million in New Brunswick.

Graham said that establishing a dedicated fund to maintain infrastructure will safeguard the long-term sustainability of these wetlands. “This partnership will ensure that these wetlands are maintained for years to come, and are an important environmental contributor to a self-sufficient New Brunswick,” said Graham.

Related articles

• New N.B. wetlands development rules planned (cbc.ca)

The Government of New Brunswick has laid out a plan for addressing climate change, called the New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan.

Below is a snapshot of the initiative taken from their website:

“The New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan is an important step to address the many broad and interrelated aspects of climate change in this province. It is an ambitious plan that outlines our collective vision for reducing provincial greenhouse gas emissions and managing our adaptation to climate change impacts through a series of targets and policy actions as well as engagement of stakeholders and the public. In these ways, this plan charts our path to sustainability in a changing climate.”

Applications for funding are now being accepted under the three-year, $34-million fund, and will be accepted until Feb. 20, 2009. Download the full application for funding here.

“I strongly encourage eligible groups to present proposals, particularly in the application of renewable energy alternatives, transportation, energy efficiency and waste management,” said Minister of Environment Roland Haché. “The New Brunswick Climate Action Fund is a great resource that can be used in our joint efforts to reduce and prevent greenhouse-gas emissions in our province.”

Read this Government of New Brunswick press release for a recent environmental project funded by this initiative.
Read the summary and full plan here: Climate Change Action Plan – 2007-2012

Burton – J.D. Irving Limited pleaded guilty in New Brunswick provincial court to charges laid by Environment Canada under the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994.

The company was sentenced to pay a $60,000 penalty for contravening the Act by destroying eight Great Blue Heron nests during logging operations. The company will also be required to create a buffer zone to prevent further forestry activity in the area where the nests were damaged.

“Protection of Canada’s wildlife is of the highest priority for our Government,” said Canada’s Environment Minister, John Baird. “Today’s announcement of a guilty plea demonstrates that environmental enforcement works to help protect and preserve Canada’s natural treasures like the Great Blue Heron.”

$50,000 of the total penalty will be awarded to Bird Studies Canada‘s Atlantic Canada office to be used for the protection and conservation of migratory birds including the Great Blue Heron. Bird Studies Canada is a not-for-profit organization that advances the understanding, appreciation and conservation of wild birds and their habitat in Canada.
The court also assessed a fine of $10,000, which under the Act must be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund. The fund is administered by Environment Canada on behalf of the Government of Canada and directs money from fines to work to restore and protect the environment.

This conviction concludes an investigation that began in the summer of 2006. The investigation was led by Environment Canada’s Enforcement Branch, with cooperation from New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources conservation officers.

“I would like to thank Environment Canada’s Enforcement Branch, as well as the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources for their work on this matter,” said Minister Baird. “It is through the dedication and hard work of these public servants that we are able to enforce the law and protect our wildlife.”

As part of the court proceedings, the company challenged the federal authority to legislate with respect to migratory birds. The New Brunswick Provincial Court upheld the authority of the federal government to enact the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994 and confirmed federal responsibility for migratory birds.

The Government of Canada is responsible under the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994 for ensuring that migratory birds are maintained, protected and conserved. This Act provides for fines up to $1 million and/or three years imprisonment for indictable offences and up to $300,000 and six months imprisonment for summary conviction offences.

The Salmon Restoration Project is a community initiative of the Elsipogtog Miimag First Nations to work on restoring the salmon populations in the Richibucto River.

Negotiations with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has resulted in an agreement that Elsipogtog First Nation, in collaboration with Biologists from Kouchibouguac National Park, would carry out field projects and management actions in support of the protection and restoration of the salmon population in the Richibucto River.

The main goal of this project is to conduct a scientific assessment of the fish stocks of the Richibucto River. Several objectives were defined so as to reach that goal.

The New Brunswick Climate Change Hub facilitates the exchange of ideas, information, and resources between government, private sector and community-based organizations engaged in climate change.

The Hub builds capacity for New Brunswick groups to develop public education and outreach programs on climate change, encouraging individual New Brunswickers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and harmful air pollutants. This website was designed to provide you with access to a plethora of resources. If you need something and can’t find it on our site, do not hesitate to contact us.

Some of their current projects and activities are:

Municipal Fleets Project
When we burn gasoline and diesel in our vehicles many air pollutants and greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere. Outdoor air quality is impacted many air pollutants which are harmful to our health and the greenhouse gases contribute to climate change. The more gas or diesel that is burned, the more emissions are produced.

The New Brunswick Community Challenge
The New Brunswick Climate Change Hub is working with communities across New Brunswick to develop community challenges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The New Brunswick Lung Association’s Environmental-Health Mapping Project
The New Brunswick Lung Association is developing a web-based mapping application that will enhance decision-making on environmental-health issues.

Building Bridges
A youth-led project involving the creation of a tool-kit and meetings with community leaders.

Visit their web site: http://www.nbhub.org