Environment Committee on Dec. 13th, 2011

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

It was oil sands monitoring.

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

No specific funds will be saved from program A to be put to program B. What I said is that the department's priorities, the priorities of the branch, always have to respond and evolve as external pressures and interests come to us. The minister made a commitment. The department worked hard and published in the summer a plan for monitoring of the oil sands. That is an area where we are ramping up activity. Again, it is looking at what areas science are more mature, what areas of science face new pressures, and how do you manage your resources to best serve the department?

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

When you mentioned the possible redirection of funds, that was just speculative. You're not confirming that funds would actually be redirected to things like that?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

At the branch level, we are clearly looking to increase the level of our activity around the oil sands.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Do you have any studies? Have you carried out any studies on the scientific usefulness of the sites currently in place, and do you have any idea of the minimum number of sites you would need to keep in order to ensure that the results are scientifically valid?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

That's exactly the kind of question our scientists are considering now.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

So you haven't finished your studies. Are there studies ongoing?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Well, there are discussions about exactly that kind of question, yes.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Okay, there are discussions but you haven't come to any conclusions.

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

No.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

So you're saying there will be cuts, but are not yet founded on any idea of how many sites are necessary. These cuts are not founded on any conclusions you've already reached.

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

I don't say there will be cuts. We're saying there are ongoing discussions with the scientists about how best to use the two different methods dispersed across Canada for measuring ozone.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

I await with great eagerness the result of these discussions.

With regard to the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre, you said that the centre would be modified so that there would be greater synergy with Environment Canada. Could you elaborate on that and tell us what that means in real terms, and maybe just go into greater detail?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Could you handle that, Charles?

[Dr. Charles Lin]

Yes. As I said earlier, the Met service has experience maintaining operational networks that report routinely and regularly on a consistent basis, and that data is used in near real-time. We've decided to put the ozone data centre, the WOUDC, under the auspices of the MSC. But at the same time, the S and T branch under Karen will provide scientific oversight. So this is combining the best of both worlds, the one where we have scientific expertise and the other where MSC has the experience in maintaining operational networks.

That discussion is ongoing and there are personnel being transitioned from one group to the other.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

Thank you. The time has expired.

Our last questioner will be Mr. Woodworth, for five minutes.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much, and thank you for coming today.

I'd like to begin with some questions on the two systems you have going, the ozonesonde and the Brewer. I understand that there's an effort to somehow better integrate those two systems, which I've heard described as optimizing or streamlining. Is that correct?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Yes.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

From what I understand, there are sites across Canada where sometimes both systems are operating, and sometimes only one. You're going to look at all of the sites and determine where best to have each of those two systems operate. Is that correct?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Yes.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

All right, and in the course of that, is the end result going to in any way degrade the quality of data from the level you're currently receiving?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Our intent is to maintain the scientific validity of our data, absolutely. As a science-based department, it's fundamental to Environment Canada that there be an absolutely strong scientific foundation.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

So, it is in fact ensuring that there will be adequate scientific data. Is that the primary determinant of the optimization exercise you're undertaking?

[Dr. Karen Dodds]

Yes. Dr. Lin may be able to describe this. He put in front of his folks some principles for this review of the use of the two methods.

[Dr. Charles Lin]

That is correct. For example, there are certain stations that have very long records, and to maintain continuity we want those records to continue. That's one of the principles. As I indicated earlier, the north is a priority, so that's another principle. Our scientists will be able to use their expertise, with guidance from other measurement methods and modelling studies, to essentially optimize the network.