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The Sustainable Navigation Strategy for the St. Lawrence
Navigation on the St. Lawrence is an environmentally beneficial means of transportation, but it is not without impact on the ecosystem. In order to minimize this impact, the St. Lawrence Plan launched the Sustainable Navigation Strategy for the St. Lawrence in June 2004.
The Strategy was developed through several years of work by a coordination committee consisting of representatives of various sectors, and its objectives also included promoting development of commercial navigation–specifically for its environmental benefits–and harmonizing the activities involved in this mode of transportation with other uses of the St. Lawrence.
The committee began by undertaking public consultations with the marine industry, recreational navigation, riverside communities and environmental groups. Then, starting from a shared vision on which they had agreed, the committee members developed about a dozen major principles to guide industry decisions, and set out eight major problems or aspects that needed to be considered; each of these was associated with an action plan to be implemented by 2010.
Included among these were dredging of the St. Lawrence (in the navigation channel as well as in ports and marinas), erosion of banks caused by passage of ships and recreational vessels, adaptation of navigation to fluctuating water levels (on account of climate change), management of ballast water from ships (introduction of exotic invasive species) and risks of hazardous product spills.
The Sustainable Navigation Strategy for the St. Lawrence has now gained the status of a reference document for the entire marine industry in Canada.
Date modified: 2008/08/05 – Important Notices
