Environment committee  All of our activities can be destructive, but there are always ways to reduce our environmental footprint. Most policies are already in place. Unfortunately, there are not enough people on the ground enforcing these laws, policies and regulations. If there was better enforcement at all levels of government, I think there would be far fewer environmentally destructive practices.

Environment committee  That is part of the ecosystem approach. A number of Canadian authors have written on the topic of this approach. Given that there is not enough communication between the different departments and directorates, this approach promotes greater and continuous cooperation between the different departments.

Environment committee  It's approximately 10%.

Environment committee  As I was saying, we also participate in the consultations held by the various Conférences régionales des élus in order to, for example, ensure that the recommendations on species at risk are implemented. There is currently a lack of communication between stakeholders. They do not maintain a close relationship.

Environment committee  It's both. Of course we hold public meetings with volunteer landowners, given that they are our primary target group. In addition, we recruit volunteers during our activities, whether those are public meetings or our meetings with the different players or from our partnerships with other regional and provincial NGOs.

Environment committee  Definitely. Protecting the environment is the first step in our health system. People are still not aware that we need quality water, air and food. That's what we are made up of. If our water, air and food are polluted, the risk of cancer will definitely increase, as well as epidemics caused by bacteria in water.

Environment committee  Of course, if we had additional funding, we could get more work done at all levels. All the players could contribute more and disseminate information to the greater public and to the landowners.

Environment committee  Yes, but there are too many landowners for the funding that we have available to us. Of course, some of them will never be interested. Up to now, the funding that we receive allows us to take care of 10 to 15 landowners, but 40 of them are interested. Many of them are interested.

Environment committee  I don't know if that would be possible, but perhaps. That would require finding ways for the different levels of government to communicate.

Environment committee  That would require different experts in various locations. For example, as I was saying earlier, not-for-profit organizations would have to come together with representatives from each level of government that have expertise in sustainable urban development. Then, it would be essential that the RCMs benefit from this expertise and the available resources.

Environment committee  The projects begin in April of each year, at the same time that the government's new fiscal year starts. We receive the answers 10 to 12 months after the request has been made. Consequently, we don't necessarily have the means to carry out the projects. Currently, we are advancing the money so that the projects can get underway, since the diagnosis on the ground must be done in the spring in April.

Environment committee  I am referring to the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk.

Environment committee  No.

Environment committee  With the voluntary landowners, we provide a number of recommendations. When it comes to cutting down trees for example, of course they can use their forest, but we make recommendations on how they can do so sustainably. If there are species at risk in the area, we recommend that they maintain a buffer zone around these species and instead go to cut their firewood in areas where there are less noble species or those that are less endangered.

Environment committee  You would probably need to categorize them by type: natural area, aquatic area, and so on. Even if it is an ecosystem issue, you must nevertheless take into account the various types of natural areas and species. As regards indicators, earlier, I gave an example of the percentage of restored areas or the number of protected areas.