During the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences Annual Conference last week, it was all about restoring and protecting our ecosystems. The conference was held at Nav Canada and Ontario Minister of the Environment John Gerretsen was all about “making our province a cleaner place.”
The conference featured many guest speakers and presenters such as Dr. Patricia Chambers of Environment Canada, Dr. John Casselman of Queen’s University and professional outdoor photographer Ethan Meleg, who spoke at the Aultsville Theatre in Cornwall. The main focus of the two day event was the restoration and protection of the aquatic ecosystems of the great lakes through government and community action. It is not just about what politicians and scientists can do to help, but the general public as well said Gerretsen.
In October of 2007, Gerretsen was appointed the minister of the environment and his top priority has been to implement Ontario’s climate change action plan. Some aspects of the plan include phasing out coal-fired electricity by 2014 and developing the cap-and-trade program, which allows Ontario to link to other systems in North America. Gerretsen says the Ontario government is now collaborating for the first time with the United-States and the province of Quebec. “If we don’t have collaboration, we will simply fail.”
It is estimated that Canada will face a “forty percent water shortage in the next 20-30 years” said Gerretsen and the implementation of laws on water saving faucets and toilets are a very real possibility. The legislation to ban cosmetic pesticides in Ontario is also the handy work of Gerretsen’s constituency. What’s happens to our land and air effects the water said Gerretsen. A landmark legislation to protect Lake Simcoe was also created under his leadership.
Pictured in the photo above from left are Dr. Jérôme Marty, St. Lawrence River Institute Aquatic Biologist and Research Scientist, John Gerretsen, Ontario Minister of the Environment, Christina Collard, St. Lawrence River Institute Program Leader – Administration and Special Projects and Dr. Jeff Ridal, St. Lawrence River Institute Executive Director and Chief Research Scientist.
