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News release
Follow-up to St. Lawrence Action Plan: Phase III is confirmed
Montréal, June 8, 1998 – Federal Environment Minister Christine Stewart and Québec Minister of the Environment and Wildlife Paul Bégin signed a new joint action agreement today to launch the third phase of the St. Lawrence Action Plan, which now has ten years of achievements to its credit.
The third phase relies on co-operation between governments. A number of Canadian and Québec government departments will be combining their efforts and a portion of their existing resources, $184 million over five years, to continue action initiated under the first two phases of the St. Lawrence Action Plan. An additional $55 million will be added to the existing funding in order to better respond to public concerns about the St. Lawrence.
The government partners are pooling their resources to maintain efforts in several areas covered in the previous phases, including industrial cleanup, biodiversity, and health. New areas of growing environmental concern addressed will be agriculture, water level management and shipping and boating.
Phase III of the St. Lawrence Action Plan was planned with input from 200 individuals, including government and non-government representatives. It differs from phases I and II in several ways :
Increased co-operation among stakeholders
The co-operation between government and non-governmental organizations that underpinned the planning of the third phase will continue after the launch. The SLV 2000 Consultative Committee will now fulfill an advisory role, providing the Agreement Management Committee with opinions, while outside partners will be asked to help meet the plan’s objectives.
Increased involvement of riverside communities in the protection and conservation of the St. Lawrence
Activities given priority by riverside communities will be carried out under Phase III. Stratégies Saint-Laurent will receive financial and technical support to set up more ZIP committees. The number of committees will go from ten to fourteen in Phase III.
An approach focused on prevention
Phase III will stress a prevention-focused approach, specifically in the industrial and urban sector and in the areas of public health, agriculture and shipping and boating. Industrial plants will be encouraged to adopt voluntary measures and good environmental practices by introducing management systems. Education and sensitization will take place to protect public health and the health of the St. Lawrence ecosystem.
New areas of activity : water level management and shipping and boating
During the planning stages of Phase III of the St. Lawrence Action Plan, the importance of the impact of dredging and of shipping and boating on the river was recognized by all of the partners. A strategy for managing shipping and boating in a more environmentally sensitive manner will be developed. Variations in water levels due to dams and climate change also emerged as a major concern for most participants. This new area of intervention will make it possible to evaluate the effects of water level fluctuations on the St. Lawrence ecosystem and on the river’s uses.
Management of Phase III of the St. Lawrence Action Plan will present a real challenge. Given the number and complexity of the problems it addresses, the interest it has aroused in many different quarters, and the commitments to meet concrete, measurable objectives, the management process needs to be open and participatory. The government partners are relying essentially on co-operation and partnership to meet this challenge.
Information :
Clément Dugas
Environment Canada
(418) 648-5777
Raymonde Goupil
Québec Department of Environment and Wildlife
( 418) 521-3823,
extension 4912
Aussi disponible en français
Date modified: 1998/06/08 – Important Notices
