From: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Subject: RE: Please commit to funding the Ottawa River Action Plan
Thank you for your email regarding the Ottawa River Action Plan.
I have repeatedly called on the government to take action to protect the Ottawa River, which is now designated a national heritage river.
Approximately one million people use the Ottawa River as their source of drinking water. However, the watershed is impacted by several sources of pollution including municipal sewage and industrial wastewater.
Our municipalities are facing a growing infrastructure deficit, which means they face significant challenges in keeping contaminants out of the river.
I released an action plan and motion in the House of Commons that calls on the federal government to commit to setting regulations to protect and preserve the integrity and natural environment of the Ottawa River.
This action plan calls for strengthened environmental regulations from the federal government and enforcement of the Federal Fisheries Act, as well as an increase in funding to municipalities to improve their infrastructure. Compliance records should be published and there should be a public right to know when untreated sewage is spilled into the river.
Furthermore, my plan calls for regular monitoring of ecological indicators and more funding for research. As it stands, water quality information for the Ottawa River is not integrated or consistent.
The federal government should establish a watershed management plan for the Ottawa River now, instead of waiting for pollution levels to reach the same catastrophic levels observed in the Great Lakes.
I will support a budget proposal that increases funding to municipalities to help them improve the water quality of the Ottawa River. We can’t wait any longer to protect its ecological and environmental integrity.
Thank you again for writing to me on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Paul Dewar, MP | Député Ottawa Centre 879 Edifice Confederation Building 613.996.5322 www.pauldewarmp.ca CEP 232
From: [email protected] Sent: Jan 19, 2012 Subject: RE: Please commit to funding the Ottawa River Action Plan
Thank you for your email regarding funding for the Ottawa River Action Plan.
I find it extremely encouraging and heartening to have received over 200 emails from concerned citizens on this critically important matter.
I have spent my career committed to sustainability issues and to the quality of Canadian rivers; I will continue to encourage the government to fund such worthy projects.
The Ottawa River Action Plan is indeed very deserving of support from the Federal Government and I am hopeful it will be included in Budget 2012.
Sincerely,
David McGuinty Member of Parliament Ottawa South
From: [email protected] Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 11:44:01 AM Subject: RE: Your correspondence – Please commit to funding the Ottawa River Action Plan
Thank you for your message.
Through the Economic Action Plan, the federal government provided the City of Ottawa with an unprecedented 600 million dollars to spend on its priorities. The City decided it would use the funds for its stated number one priority: transit.
The federal government is open to considering redirecting some of our government’s transit contribution to the Ottawa River Action Plan should the city now be identifying that as its priority.
The cleanup of the Ottawa River remains the federal government priority now and for 2014. We wished the city shared that priority.
Sincerely,
Pierre Poilievre, M.P. Nepean-Carleton Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities