Environment Committee on Oct. 17th, 2012

[Andrew Campbell]

Yes. I think the largest learning that we've had—and in fact we have begun to reorient our education toward this—is by using partners who are already in and who have a big reach within the classroom. We've started to move with other types of programs, with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and we've started with the World Wildlife Fund. As I said, we're doing a learn to camp program with the International Mountain Biking Association.

All of these have been big learning experiences for us. We as government can help create, in Parks Canada terms, the big tent in which others and ourselves can get together and really make a huge difference to kids. We offer a great place for people to have that experiential learning.

[James Lunney, Conservative, Nanaimo—Alberni, BC]

That's super.

Now, I want to pay a compliment to one of your employees, Silva Johansson, on the Valencia program. I had never heard that name, but this woman did a fantastic job with a few props, taking people into the Valencia shipwreck off the coast and bringing it all alive as though we had lived through the whole experience.

You anticipated my next question, which is the Mountain Equipment Co-op and the International Mountain Biking Association partnerships. Can you tell us something about where the uptake was in these programs? You mentioned Fort Langley and so on. Can you tell us the number of students that participated, and what age groups they're targeting?

[Andrew Campbell]

It's actually a family-based program. I would like to say that in a number of these programs, for example, the learn to camp program that we have done in Calgary, about 90% of the people who participated were new Canadians. We're seeing a huge uptake in new Canadians, because this is one of the ways that new urban Canadians are seeing that they can overcome a barrier. One of the biggest barriers that people have being in the outdoors, which was revealed through surveying we've done, is the apparent lack of knowledge. If you think that it's scary and you don't know anything about it, it's a very difficult barrier to overcome.

Parks Canada isn't in the world of buying tents, so Mountain Equipment Co-op provides the tents. The International Mountain Biking Association does some teaching on trails and how to mountain bike. We have had many local groups across the country, from Trans Canada Trail to local trail groups actually take people on guided hikes. The campfires at night are quite spectacular. I've participated in a number of them, and to see 100 new families actually out there enjoying the outdoors for the first time is pretty phenomenal.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

Thank you so much. Time has expired.

Ms. Liu, you have five minutes.

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

I would like to thank the witnesses for coming to meet with us today.

Ms. Poter, I particularly liked hearing you say that Montreal was a model to follow. I am myself from Montreal. I grew up there. I am pleased to hear that. Montreal has recently adopted the metropolitan land use and development plan. That is a step in the right direction.

Municipalities often have to get the job done with very tight budgets. Their revenue is limited. My question has to do with infrastructures, including treatment plants.

Do you think that the cost of building those plants is putting a strain on municipal budgets? Does the federal government have a role to play in funding those infrastructures?

Water purification means water quality. My riding is bounded on the north by the Mille Îles River. This directly affects the quality of life of residents.

Do you have any comments about that?

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

Point of order, Mr. Sopuck.

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB]

I think a question relating to the importance of water quality in urban areas is appropriate, but it very much puts our witnesses on the spot to ask them to venture an opinion on federal budgetary matters, so I think the question is out of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

I would agree on that point of order, Ms. Liu.

You could ask that question of other witnesses, but these witnesses are department officials. Asking them whether the federal government should fund a project or generally fund programs like this would be a policy question.

I ask that you keep that in mind in your questioning.

Thank you.

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

I don't know if we're still speaking to the same point of order. If we could just speak to the challenges, I think water quality is a challenge when we're talking about urban areas. Water purification is a particular challenge for municipalities.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

You're not speaking to the point of order.

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

I'm not? Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

I've already ruled on the point of order. You're now using your time.

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

Okay.

Do you think that the construction of this infrastructure puts stress on cities and their budgets?

[Virginia Poter]

I might have a personal opinion, but I don't bring that expertise to bear on this question. I'm not in the regulation of waste water or water provision in a city. I don't have the expertise to give you valuable advice on that.

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

That's fair. Thank you.

Recently, something that was a concern to the residents of the region of Montreal was the fact that there was a beluga found in the port of Montreal. It had wandered off. It was a very unusual event. About 15 belugas were found dead, and unfortunately, we don't know the reason they died and whether it was from bacterial infection, a pollutant in the water, or chemical pollutants in the water.

What would be your recommendation in terms of the federal government's role in research funding, especially around ecotoxicology?

[Robert Sopuck, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette, MB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chairman.

This has nothing to do with urban conservation.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

On the same point of order, Ms. Rempel.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

This is also a budgetary question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mark Warawa]

Is there any other discussion on this point of order?

Okay. Mr. Liu, I would ask you to again stay within the scope. I don't think I need to read the scope again. That was outside the scope.

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

Considering the role the federal government should play in urban conservation, what would be the role of the federal government in terms of research and research tools concerning ecotoxicology?

[Virginia Poter]

Again, this is not my expertise. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans would be the department that would have insight into the reason for the death of the belugas.

There is a fair bit of work done inside Environment Canada on water quality, but that's not my part of the department. I don't have a good insight into what they're focused on and what their priorities are and how they approach the work.

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

Would you have a perspective on the state of freshwater research in Canada? You mentioned the importance of freshwater research in terms of urban conservation.

[Virginia Poter]

Again, at the Wildlife Service, we are focused on protected areas, migratory birds, and species at risk. I don't have a lot of insight on freshwater other than acknowledging that it's very important to cities. There is a role wetlands can play in providing filtration services for water that is in and around urban areas.

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

Great, thank you.

You also mentioned youth engagement. I was wondering if you could talk about the Biosphère in terms of providing basic scientific literacy to young people.

What were the strengths of the Biosphère, and what kind of mission did it accomplish in Montreal?

[Virginia Poter]

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this isn't really my area. It reports to a different group. But the Biosphère is continuing to operate. It is continuing to offer the environmental education and outreach activities it has been offering since 1995. I think consideration is being given to how it needs to evolve, given that there are different channels available to get information out to people.

There's work under way in that regard.