Text Size
ZIP Program
In 1988, a small team from Environment Canada develop the concept of “areas of prime concern”, known as ZIPs (for: zones d’intervention prioritaire). Dividing territory along the shores of the St. Lawrence into ecological and social zones was to be combined with a structure for partnership and coordination, with the objective of enabling citizens and groups within society first to become involved in protecting and developing their zone of the river, and ultimately to take responsibility for it.
In conjunction with this process, in 1989, a number of environmental groups in Quebec, led by the Union québécoise pour la conservation de la nature (UQCN), founded Stratégies Saint-Laurent (SSL). Their goal was to promote the involvement of the public and of regional decision-makers in the protection, preservation and enhancement of the St. Lawrence. It was in this way that the first multisectoral coordination committees were established: the ZIP committees.
It was the combination of these two approaches and close cooperation that developed among environmental groups and government managers that led at the beginning of Phase II of the St. Lawrence Plan (SLV 2000 from 1993 to 1998) to the establishment of the ZIP program, the purpose of which is to promote better knowledge of the St. Lawrence environment in order to foster local initiatives for the protection, restoration, conservation and enhancement of the river's resources and uses that are consistent with sustainable development.
Agreement signed with Stratégies Saint-Laurent
On April 7, 1995, the Canadian and Quebec governments signed an initial framework agreement with Stratégies Saint-Laurent for the implementation of the ZIP program. Under the agreement, SSL was to establish new ZIP committees along the St. Lawrence, coordinate their activities and provide them with services designed to ensure a measure of cohesion in action affecting the entire river. The agreement was extended in 1999 and again in 2003. Under the program, financial and structural support is available for the coordination of public action. The technical and financial assistance required for concrete action comes from various government funding programmes, including Community Interaction.
http://www.planstlaurent.qc.ca/centre_ref/publications/lefleuve/vol5_2_f.pdf
Stages of the program
When the ZIP program began, the first stage involved producing a survey for each ZIP of environmental knowledge and data on biological, physical, chemical and socioeconomic resources. Health surveys were also developed for each ZIP. Preparing the reviews of environmental knowledge required the know-how of scientists from Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Environment Canada (EC), the Ministère de l’Environnement du Québec (MENV) and the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec (FAPAQ); the health surveys called upon the services of Health Canada and the provincial Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
The second stage required each ZIP committee to consult the public in order to determine priorities for action in the light of these surveys. In the last stage, each ZIP committee recorded its priorities for action in an Ecological Rehabilitation Action Plan (ERAP).
At the end of the third five-year plan (1998-2003), 14 committees were established along the St. Lawrence, and 16 environmental assessments were published. The model for local community action has taken firm root. It is based on balanced representation of the various sectors involved in the problems of the river's ecosystems, and the reconciliation of goals and resources in taking action. Credit for the contribution made by riverside communities goes largely to the ZIP committee coordinators, who have been able to secure the participation and cooperation of their respective communities.
Date modified: 2008/05/08 – Important Notices
