OTTAWA, Ontario, - April 3, 2008 – Joe Comuzzi, Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay - Superior North, on behalf of Canada’s Environment Minister, John Baird, today announced $250,000 for EcoSuperior Environmental Programs to help develop a strategy to cleanup sediment in Peninsula Harbour. Peninsula Harbour, one of the polluted hot spots on the Great Lakes, is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
“This funding will achieve real results for Canadians where it matters most – our local community,” said Mr. Comuzzi. “The work being undertaken to improve Peninsula Harbour will produce not only a cleaner environment, but will also generate jobs, boost local sales and tax revenue and contribute to stimulating regional development. Our goal is to see Peninsula Harbour return to productive economic and recreational use.”
To view Peninsula Harbour Webcam go to:
http://lakesuperiorwebcams.com/cam-marathon.asp
EcoSuperior is a not-for-profit green organization that addresses environmental issues for Thunder Bay and the surrounding area. Through partnerships with local business and industry, as well as all levels of government, its mandate is to increase public awareness and participation in building a cleaner, greener community and a healthy environment.
This investment to further the clean up Peninsula Harbour is part of the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Clean Water. The Government has also taken action to protect water quality, including tough new regulations against the dumping of raw sewage and improving raw sewage treatment in municipalities and first nation communities across Canada. These measures will help filter out substances like phosphates, which can lead to excessive blue-green algae production.
Through this funding, the group will engage in public consultations to developing strategies and guidelines to measure progress on the cleanup efforts; assist in the completion of geotechnical field investigations; and begin detailed engineering designs.