Evidence of meeting #30 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was species.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
Thank you so much. Time has expired.
We have Ms. Ambler. You have five minutes.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And thank you to our witnesses for being here today.
I'd like to discuss today and ask you about ensuring that urban Canadians are a part of this national conservation plan.
Mr. Davidson, you mentioned that nature nation envisions a place where every Canadian feels a personal connection to the natural world and that strengthening a “nature first” ethic is achieved by inspiring and motivating Canadians to value and conserve nature.
How do we ensure that urban Canadians feel this connection? If they're not fortunate enough to have a cottage in northern Ontario or in Muskoka, or if they don't live near a lake or near the banks of a river, how do we do that?
4:40 p.m.
Executive Director, Nature Canada
That's an excellent question. If I might even focus that on the young people of this country, we really believe that's where the future is; that's where we need to be spending time. We need to connect, we need to engage, we need to inspire young Canadians to really engage with nature.
There's an initiative in the United States that basically speaks to leaving no children inside. The idea is to get kids out.
I was speaking to my three godsons, and I asked them if they could name me a national park. They're exposed, they've travelled Canada, but they could not name me a national park in Canada, and I was really surprised. I think that is reflective of how young Canadians perhaps see this country.
There are initiatives out there that are trying to engage kids. I believe our national parks are wonderful jewels, fantastic opportunities to dance in these places. Parks Canada has a truly magnificent opportunity to link young people in urban areas with national parks. The project in Toronto, with the Rouge, is a first step towards that. There are other opportunities across this country, and we should be looking at those to engage young Canadians, particularly in those urban areas, because that's where our future is.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
I'm glad you mentioned the Rouge, but as someone from the Toronto area, I know the Rouge Park gets all the attention. There are lots of other great places in the greater Toronto area that are part of the same ecosystem. I was just at an event last week for the Riverwood Conservancy, which is an area in the heart of Mississauga, on the banks of the Credit River, 150 acres. People call it the “lungs” of Mississauga because it's a living laboratory of nature right in the city, and I can tell you that most people in Mississauga don't know it's there.
They have some great programs. One of them is called Hot Chocolate and Wild Birds, and it's for little kids. I notice that Nature Canada has a program called My Parks Pass for eighth-graders. That's also a great idea.
The difficulty is that so often, if we don't start with young children in schools, by the time they reach a certain age they don't have that interest. Their interests change and so on. But if a child doesn't have a parent or grandparent who instills in them those values, how can our plan help toward making sure that future generations do place a premium on loving nature?
4:40 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Wildlife Federation
If I may, one of the important things is to support the leaders who are there. There are leaders in every community who take the time to take kids outdoors and teach them about camping, just to go camp in a backyard. It doesn't take much, but they need support. It's helpful for them to have support, and they're in every community across our country.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mark Warawa
Thank you. Your time has expired.
Madame Quach, welcome to the committee. This is your first day here. You have five minutes.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses.
My questions are for Mr. Davidson, but you can all contribute if you feel the need.
Mr. Davidson, you said that conservation tools needed to be improved, including current environmental legislation. Do you have some concrete examples of criteria that could improve the current legislation, or features of the legislation that you would like us to examine more closely?
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Nature Canada
Thank you for your question.
I'm not that familiar with the legislative side. Obviously the tools are there in five or six very important environmental acts.
On tools for conservation, one of the things we try to promote within the naturalist network—and we work through provincial affiliates or provincial naturalist networks across the country—is the opportunity for sharing their various experiences and exchanging ideas, successes, and challenges. We find that practical experience to be a real opportunity to learn about the different types of tools being used across the landscape for conservation purposes.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Mr. Bates or Mr. Lounds, do you have anything to add?
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Wildlife Federation
There is opportunity to do more creative thinking and program development in the area of market-based incentives for stewardship. There are some good examples out there, but there is tremendous opportunity as well.
4:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Nature Conservancy Canada
I would echo the market-based incentives or tax policy. There are some things that can be done, although I know it's a very difficult area to move into.
A lot of the legislation that applies to conservation, certainly by private landowners and even on public land, is provincial. If there are going to be changes that way, a lot of that needs to happen there.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Thank you.
You all talked about making the public, especially young people, more aware, and getting the federal government involved in those types of activities. We already have national wildlife areas. Some of them offer nature observation activities or kayaking activities to make access to nature easier for the public at large. Are you in favour of local ecotourism as a way to connect people to nature? Is that a way to increase awareness?
4:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Nature Conservancy Canada
Nature Conservancy Canada has many properties across Canada, so we run something called the conservation volunteer program. It's not just a program to get people out to look at the sites and learn about them; we actually ask them to assist us with the stewardship and conservation of those places.
Last year we had 1,000 people out on various properties across the country. We're looking to expand that type of work. We find it's a great way to connect folks in urban areas with conservation areas. For instance, we have one just north of Toronto called the Happy Valley Forest. Who wouldn't want to go to the Happy Valley Forest? It's a great place to take people to do this sort of thing.
4:45 p.m.
Vice-President, Conservation, Nature Conservancy Canada
But it is true that just outside London, Ontario, we also have one called Skunk's Misery.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Anne Minh-Thu Quach NDP Beauharnois—Salaberry, QC
Do you have any models that you can share with us? Are there conservation plans elsewhere in the world that work well, that have been and continue to be improved? Do farmers also contribute to those conservation plans?
4:45 p.m.
Executive Director, Nature Canada
There are some very interesting models, but not specifically related to what you just referred to. One that I'm particularly aware of is in the United States, and this goes back to the question about how to engage urban Canadians in nature.
In Chicago they started by making urban people aware of birds in their natural areas within the city. That evolved to become a nature initiative for all of Chicago. It involved 30 or 40 stakeholders from the government, the private sector, etc. It was phenomenally successful. I think there are huge opportunities for all of our major urban areas to appropriate some of that experience.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
April 24th, 2012 / 4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, witnesses, for your efforts and information today.
I'm going to begin by just reminding the witnesses that our job as a committee is to try to come up with some general guidance for the minister. Then he's going to go forward with a consultation publicly in preparing a plan. So we are not actually going to prepare a plan, and I want all of you to keep your pencils sharpened so that you will have input when the minister is looking for it.
With that in mind, though, the question of priorities is important.
If I may, Mr. Bates, I'd like to direct a question to you. If I'm right, I think I heard you say that you or your group felt that the greatest need in conservation in Canada was in the working landscape. I am inclined to agree with that. I'm wondering if, in two minutes or less, you could tell me how you reached the conclusion that this is where the greatest need is, so that I can try to persuade the minister that this is what he should look into.
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Well, I think part of it is looking at the areas of greatest impact. That is typically our southern areas. They're intensively developed from an urban, agricultural, or industrial point of view. Where you have many impacts like that, it typically causes stress on wildlife.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
I'm going to suggest that in addition to greatest impact, it's also the most immediate impact we're facing. Would that be a fair statement?
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Stephen Woodworth Conservative Kitchener Centre, ON
Yes. In fact, if we could develop a model in the areas of working landscape, then it could be extended as development extends and would serve us well in the future. Would that be a correct statement?
4:50 p.m.
Executive Director, Canadian Wildlife Federation
Yes, I think so. One of the advantages we have in areas that are less developed is the opportunity to do proactive planning, which would allow for quicker decisions.
Right now, when we're trying to make decisions around development or conservation in the developed landscape, there are so many interest groups and so many issues and problems that it protracts decision-making. Getting ahead of the game in the less developed areas with very good land-use planning models I think has an opportunity to minimize those kinds of problems going forward.