Environment committee  Hello, Mr. Chair and committee members. Thank you for inviting me today. I was born in Ottawa, and it was also here, at Carleton University, that I discovered my passion for ecology.

Environment committee  Right. My name is David O'Connor and I am the project manager at the Regional Environmental Council of Estrie. Before going any further, I want to clarify that I am here in my personal capacity, and not as a representative of the Regional Environmental Council of Estrie or of the Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l'environnement du Québec.