In the News

Winnipeg Conference Builds on Manitoba's Research in Managing, Preserving Caribou Herds and Their Natural Environment: Blaikie

Almost 400 experts from around the world will gather in Winnipeg for the 13th North American Caribou Workshop from Oct. 26 to 28 to share ideas and develop initiatives that will help protect Manitoba’s caribou herds, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced today. “We expect the scientific and traditional knowledge exchanged in Winnipeg at this conference will help preserve caribou in Manitoba, in North America and around the world,” said Blaikie. “Caribou are an iconic Canadian species whose continuing existence is intimately tied to the health of the environment and other animals.” The conference, which is held every two years, is being funded with $10,000 from Manitoba Conservation and $17,000 from Manitoba Hydro, in addition to other sponsors. The event, titled Sustaining Caribou and Their Landscapes - Knowledge to Action, will be held at the Fairmont ...

Today 10 leading environmental groups gave the Manitoba government and Indigenous partners on the east side of Lake Winnipeg an award for their work to promote the creation of an UNESCO world heritage site in this spectacular tract of intact boreal forest.

The most comprehensive report ever on the state of Canada's biodiversity calls for action to ''maintain functioning ecosystems" from B.C.'s forests to the Prairies grasslands to the St. Lawrence River. The report, Canadian biodiversity: ecosystem status and trends 2010, was quietly posted on the web Friday by the federal, provincial and territorial governments for the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-10) which began Monday in Japan. Environment Canada, which routinely issues media releases about Minister Jim Prentice's activities and announcements, did not alert the public to the report, which has been years in the making and is the most detailed assessment ever on the status of Canada's landscape, wildlife and wild places. Environment Canada media officer Mark Johnson says posting such reports on the web "is a normal process, which demonstrates that the Government of Canada is committed to transparency and keeping the public informed ...

The chief of Fisher River Cree Nation says the province is stalling on a plan to establish a provincial park at Fisher Bay. In a release issued today FRCN and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) say the province is attempting to back down on its commitment to designate a provincial park at Fisher by the end of this month by asking Manitobans for their views on extending the park proposal process for up to five years. "It is time for the government to quit stalling and establish the Fisher Bay park now for the benefit of all Manitobans," FRCN Chief David Crate said in a release today. "The outstanding support for the park gives the province a silver-platter opportunity to protect this diverse and beautiful area for future generations of people and wildlife." Located two hours north of Winnipeg, the Fisher Bay region is home to wildlife such as bears, moose, fox, ...

Re: Province accused of dragging its feet on wilderness park (Oct. 2). The Manitoba government's request to delay the designation of a provincial park in Fisher Bay is unacceptable on several grounds. Environmentally speaking, Fisher Bay is a healthy boreal wilderness; many rare and threatened species make it their home. Only a small part (approximately seven per cent) of Manitoba is permanently protected from industrial developments. This is woefully inadequate to ensure healthy ecosystems. Politically speaking, there has been a groundswell of support for this park. Finally, and in a somewhat broader context given the state of Lake Winnipeg's health, the government should be progressing on protecting land and water in its basin and watershed for the future well-being of the lake. Establishing the Fisher Bay park would help fulfil this objective. ROGER RITSEMA Winnipeg

Waabanong Anishinaabe Interpretive Learning Centre will Offer Unique, Interactive Experience for Visitors from Manitoba and the World: Selinger

HOLLOW WATER FIRST NATION-A first-of-its-kind attraction in Manitoba will teach international visitors about our province's rich natural and cultural heritage through the eyes of the Aboriginal people of Manitoba, Premier Greg Selinger announced at a site dedication ceremony held near here today with community elders and schoolchildren. "We have much to learn from the indigenous people of Manitoba about the importance of protecting our natural and cultural treasures for future generations," said Selinger. "The Waabanong Anishinaabe Interpretive Learning Centre will provide a suitable location for that learning to take place at the gateway to Manitoba's east side, an area recognized internationally as the heart of the world's last remaining intact boreal forest." The centre will be the first of several education and tourism opportunities expected to be developed jointly with Aboriginal communities over the ...

Native and environmental groups are angry the province has backed away from creating a new provincial park around Fisher Bay. The groups claim they were led to believe a provincial park would be created, but are concerned the government wants to extend a consultation process on the matter by five years. "It is time for the government to quit stalling and establish the Fisher Bay park now, " David Crate, the chief of the Fisher River Cree Nation, said Friday. Crate said his community is considering its options. "If the park isn't established and government's not serious on protecting this area then we'll probably have to do that ourselves," Crate said. "We may be forced to close the area down." Crate said the First Nation would not erect blockades, but there could be legal action. The Fisher River Cree Nation and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society issued a joint news release Friday calling on the ...

South basin mayors and reeves, First Nations to begin lobbying province to create Lake Winnipeg authority

A nearly unprecedented partnership between groups living in the Lake Winnipeg watershed is taking the first steps toward lobbying the provincial government to create a governing authority for the lake. The Mayors and Reeves of the South Basin have been meeting with First Nations leaders from around Lake Winnipeg over the last few months to discuss their common issues – particularly the level of the lake, which they say is kept artificially high by Manitoba Hydro, which is currently the only governing body for the lake and uses it as a reservoir for dams. A higher lake level can lead to a number of problems – shoreline erosion and overland flooding being the main concerns for the groups. "We know that there is value in every inch of that lake, but at the same time, our residents are ...

A new article published in the journal Forestry Chronicle outlines the role of Canada’s forests and peatlands in climate regulation. Canada’s forest and peatland ecosystems are globally significant carbon stores, whose management will be influenced by climate change mitigation policies such as offset systems. To be effective, these policies must be grounded in objective information on the relationships between land use, ecosystem carbon dynamics, and climate. Here, we present the out- comes of a workshop where forest, peatland, and climate experts were tasked with identifying management actions required to maintain the role of Canada’s forest and peatland ecosystems in climate regulation. Reflecting the desire to maintain the carbon storage roles of these ecosystems, a diverse set of management actions is proposed, incorporating conservation, forest management, and forest products. To download the full article in PDF format, click here: http://www.borealcanada.ca/documents/03-2009-063_HR.pdf

BROKENHEAD OJIBWAY NATION - Today at a meeting between Brokenhead Ojibway Nation’s (BON) chief and council and Manitoba’s minister of conservation, an agreement was reached to develop a proposed co-management agreement on the petroform sites in Whiteshell Provincial Park without prejudice to Brokenhead’s existing Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) selections in Whiteshell. “Our First Nation wants to have a say in maintaining these sacred sites, and that’s why our people instructed us to select these sites under our TLE agreement in 1998,” said BON Chief Deborah Chief. “These sites are important to the people of Brokenhead. As a result, we agreed to work with Manitoba Conservation in developing a proposed co-management agreement in managing these sites. Under this process, our people, and other interested First Nations, will be involved and consulted in developing this government-to-government co-management agreement between Brokenhead and Manitoba.” “I certainly welcome the agreement between myself as minister ...