Government Green Policies Get Failing Marks From Environmental Auditor
By John Ward, THE CANADIAN PRESS
OTTAWA – The federal government’s environmental policies are falling short when it comes to protecting people, plants, animals and habitat, the environment commissioner reported Thursday.
Ron Thompson gave the government a grade of unsatisfactory in nine of 14 areas, including protection of endangered species, Great Lakes cleanup, control of invasive species such as zebra mussels and just keeping its own operations green.
He said there was satisfactory progress on some issues, including assessing dangerous chemicals, managing pesticide safety and identifying and cleaning up contaminated sites.
Thompson monitors the environment and sustainable development for Auditor General Sheila Fraser.
His report to the Commons says the government has promised for years to protect wildlife and habitat, but hasn’t followed through.
Auditors recommended six years ago that the government develop an inventory of species at risk, but there is still no comprehensive list.
The Species at Risk Act requires the government to develop recovery strategies for 228 species as of last June. The three departments involved – Parks Canada, Fisheries and Oceans and Environment Canada – have recovery plans for 55 species.
Environment, responsible for 142 endangered species, has produced recovery plans for just 17 of them.
“The government has broken its own law, and that’s not an inconsequential thing,” Thompson told a news conference.
There are also problems with adding species to the endangered list, including some populations of grizzlies, belugas, caribou, cod, sturgeon and salmon, because there are still no formal guidelines.
The first three species were kept off the list because of a perceived need to consult further with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. The other three weren’t listed because of “socio-economic considerations.”
“We found that Environment Canada could not demonstrate how it used socio-economic information in developing a recommendation to list or not to list a species.”
And the departments haven’t designated critical habitat areas for most of the troubled species.
“In our view, taking into account the rate of progress to date and the approaching deadlines for additional strategies, the government is at risk of falling further behind in preparing recovery strategies,” the report said.
The commissioner also said management of bird sanctuaries and other protected wildlife areas is weak and full of gaps.
Cleanup of the Great Lakes Basin, home to a third of the country’s population, is lagging. After 20 years, only two of 17 trouble spots have been restored.
“We don’t think that’s a very good track record,” the commissioner said.
Areas of concern include harbours tainted by toxic sediments and rivers choked by surface run-off.
“Contaminated sediments and overloaded sewage treatment facilities remain the major problems and it is not clear who is responsible for cleanup action, when it will be completed and who will pay for it,” the report said.
“The government continues to say that it is committed to resolving these problems, but it has failed to do so.”
Foreign species continue to invade Canadian waters, but the government doesn’t know how they get here, which ones pose the biggest risks, or how to deal with them in many cases.
There are no mechanisms to detect invaders early, before they become a problem.
And the report slams Ottawa for failing to properly monitor genetically engineered fish, which could pose a threat to native species. Labs are not required to report their work, and researchers do not have to tell Ottawa if a so-called Frankenfish escapes into the wild.
While the 2005 federal budget provided $20 million over five years to fight aquatic invaders, half of that extra money will be used to top up programs to combat a single pest – the sea lamprey. Canada and the United States have been fighting the lamprey in the Great Lakes for more than 50 years without wiping it out.
The government can’t even follow its own rules about keeping its operations green, the report said.
Despite a 1990 cabinet order requiring environmental impact assessments for government policies, plans and programs, “the government is still not complying.”
The government, the country’s largest property owner, employer and purchaser of goods and services, could be a leader in going green, but isn’t, the report said.
Government rules on vehicle emissions, energy efficient buildings and green procurement aren’t specific and are open to interpretation.
“We believe that the government has missed an opportunity to lead by example by setting aggressive targets and consistently measuring and reporting on overall progress.
The report did give satisfactory grades to National Defence for its efforts to locate and assess the risks of ocean dumps sites littered with unexploded ammunition and even chemical weapons.
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OTTAWA – Highlights of Environment Commissioner Ron Thompson’s report to Parliament, released Thursday:
-Ottawa earns failing grades in nine of 14 environmental areas, as government breaks promises to take action.
-Genetically modified fish still largely unregulated in the lab and with no requirement to report escapes into the wild.
-Government dragging feet in combating continuing invasions of foreign species, mostly on East Coast and Great Lakes.
-Environment Canada lacks clear guidelines for rejecting advice of a federal science panel designed to protect endangered species.
-Management of bird sanctuaries and other protected wildlife areas is weak and full of gaps.
-Great Lakes cleanup stalled, with only two of 17 areas restored after 20 years. Sewage and toxic sediments flowing into lakes remain urgent problems.
-Satisfactory progress on assessing dangerous chemicals, managing pesticide safety, and identifying and cleaning up contaminated sites. National Defence also gets passing grade for program to identify munitions and chemical warfare dumps, both at sea and on land.