News
Release
May 8.2007
Success!
Sewage Dumping Ban Moves Forward
OTTAWA — Local MP James Moore today joined the Honourable Lawrence Cannon,
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the
Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment to announce the
next step in his long-fought efforts to keep Canada’s coastal waters
clean from the dumping of sewage, garbage and other pollutants. “I
have been fighting for these changes for years, I promised my
constituents that if I was elected into Government we would take
action to keep our local waters clean, and we are delivering
results,” says Moore.
“These regulations
align Canadian practices with international standards, making Canada
a leader in the prevention of marine pollution,” says Moore.
Canada now has
consolidated zero tolerance national
Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and for
Dangerous Chemicals. These regulations apply to all boats in all waters in Canada
and will
help eliminate the deliberate, negligent, or accidental discharge of
pollutants from ships into the marine environment.
The regulations are a compilation of existing requirements
under the Canada Shipping Act,
and international marine standards. They also introduce
various new requirements that are necessary for Canada to conclude
its adoption of all the optional provisions of the International
Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and to adopt
the Anti-Fouling Systems Convention.
“This is a major
step forward in our efforts to ensure Canadians have clean water and
that our oceans and lakes are protected for the continued
sustainability of our fish resources and habitats,” said Minister
Baird. “These new regulations complement the Government’s existing
stringent controls on disposal at sea under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and bring together tough
pollution prevention measures for the marine industry covering both
water and air and applying to all Canadian waterways.”
Key features of
these regulations include:
-
Requiring new
oily water filtering equipment and bilge alarms to meet stricter
approval standards;
-
Requiring any vessel fitted with a toilet to have a holding tank
or an approved marine sanitation device for the treatment of
sewage;
-
Adding cargo sweepings and residues from non-toxic bulk cargoes
to the definition of “garbage” and specifying the requirements
for record-keeping for garbage-related operations on commercial
carriers;
-
Requiring ships to be inspected and certified for compliance
with provisions for air emissions, limiting emissions of
nitrogen oxide from new diesel engines, banning the release of
ozone-depleting substances, banning the burning of specified
substances in ships’ incinerators, and specifying the quality of
fuel that can be burned by ships; and
-
Banning the
use of organotins in anti-fouling systems on ships, and
requiring ships’ anti-fouling systems to be inspected and
certified.
These measures are
consistent with the announcement of a new National Water Strategy in
Budget 2007. The strategy includes initiatives to advance the health
of the oceans and support greater water pollution prevention,
surveillance and enforcement along Canada’s coasts.
The first notice
of these regulations was published in the Canada Gazette,
Part I on June 17, 2006. A 90-day consultation period followed,
during which Transport Canada and Environment Canada conducted
extensive deliberations across Canada and received numerous comments
from stakeholders, all of which were taken into account in the
finalization of these regulations. The final notice is being
published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on May 16, 2007.
“I want to thank
Belcarra Mayor Ralph Drew for his persistence on this important
issue,” says Moore. “From Bedwell Bay, to Burrard Inlet, Indian Arm
and all the waters surrounding our community, we are going to keep
our coasts clean from sewage and garbage and protect our
environment.”
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For more
information, email
moorej0@parl.gc.ca or call 613.992.9650
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