The area surrounding the existing park was temporarily protected by the federal government nearly a year ago, while Parks Canada completed its consultation process.

The fate of this world famous ecological treasure is now in the hands of the federal government, which has not yet announced the new park boundaries.

Read the full Dehcho release (PDF)

Tar sands, parks, clearcuts, farms, mines, power plants, towns … their development is based on choices we make about how we use our land and water.

Do you want to have a say in how Alberta’s land and water is managed?
Do you want to add your voice to what we protect and how we use the rest?
Do you want Alberta to complete its Protected Areas Network?

Land use in Alberta affects the environment, our social fabric, and the economy. Now is the time to make your voice heard.

We have a tremendous opportunity to shape Alberta’s landscape. The Government of Alberta recently released a document that will guide how Alberta’s land is used – the Draft Land-use Framework (LUF). It is vitally important that as many concerned citizens as possible fill out the feedback survey on the framework. Deadline is Friday, June 20!

The survey only has 10 questions. While CPAWS is guardedly optimistic about the Draft Framework, we noticed that the feedback survey does not evaluate some of its key aspects. It is still vitally important for everyone to respond. To help those who are interested, CPAWS will be sending out our own response by the end of this week to share with you our take on the framework.

Meanwhile, we encourage you to check out the Draft Land-use Framework online. We also have created a handy 3-page fact sheet so you can learn more. Click here to view the fact sheet. You can also learn more about the framework and how you can stay involved by checking out the Alberta By Design Web site, developed by Water Matters, CPAWS and the Pembina Institute.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make sure good plans are made for Alberta’s future. Please use your voice to express your views.

Thank you,

Catherine Shier
Executive Director, CPAWS Northern Alberta

Dave Poulton
Executive Director, CPAWS Calgary/Banff

Deadline for comments is June 20, 2008

The Big Wild, founded by CPAWS and MEC, aims to engage Canadians to take part in protecting Canada’s Big Wild places.

With rooftop campsites, people rappelling down buildings and morning canoe commutes to work, the Big Wild teams invited passers-by to add their voice to the Big Wild. Already, over 10,000 Canadians have added their voice to the Big Wild vision: ensuring at least half of Canada’s wilderness is protected.

Add your voice at thebigwild.org.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) is offering an exciting opportunity in marine conservation. We are seeking an experienced, innovative and energetic professional to work with a multi-disciplinary team, focusing on the marine and coastal conservation planning component of our BC work.

Read the full description at cpawsbc.org.

Since her involvement with CPAWS began in 1991, Sabine has served in a number of staff and volunteer capacities, including Executive Director of CPAWS' British Columbia chapter. She steered the chapter's campaigns for Marine Protected Areas, Parks stewardship, and grasslands conservation. Under her guidance, the chapter budget and staff increased fivefold. She also previously coordinated the marine spaces campaign for World Wildlife Fund Canada in British Columbia as part of the Endangered Spaces Campaign.

Sabine holds a Masters Degree in Geography, specializing in coastal zone management and environmental regulation. She has considerable academic and work experience on land-use planning issues, particularly in Canada's North. She has served as an Advisor to the BC Parks Department, the former BC Commission on Resources and Environment, and the Economic Council of Canada. She was recently appointed to the Minister's Advisory Council on Oceans, and was previously a member of Fisheries and Oceans Canada's Science Advisory Council.

Morrison, a CPAWS board member and former national triathlon team member, is asking Premier Doer to honour his long overdue commitments to protect large areas of Manitoba’s east side. As part of a nation-wide campaign to conserve Canada's Boreal wilderness, CPAWS is calling on the Manitoba government to protect most of the east side of Lake Winnipeg in a network of large interconnected protected areas, with community driven lands management plans, and sustainable economic strategies that benefit the communities.

Morrison alit from his canoe and said, "I was amazed by the spectacular wilderness beauty on the east side of Lake Winnipeg. "A healthy future for Lake Winnipeg depends on protecting all the east side rivers that nourish the lake with their clean waters."

“It's high time the Manitoba government acts on its commitments to a World Heritage Site by protecting large, intact boreal forest lands, as requested by local First Nations," says Ron Thiessen, Director of the CPAWS Manitoba chapter. "It's essential these actions are completed before any expansion of industrial developments such as logging and mining."

The east side of Lake Winnipeg is in the heart of the Earth's largest roadless and wild boreal forest region. The boreal forest is the world's largest source of fresh water and is deemed the "northern lungs of the planet." As the largest single land storehouse of carbon, it also plays an important role regulating global climate.

"With a quarter of the Earth's remaining intact forests in Canada, it's our responsibility to ensure big wild boreal places like the east side of Lake Winnipeg are protected, because they're an essential part of the Earth's life support system," said Morrison.

CPAWS is a founding member of the Canadian Boreal Initiative's Boreal Leadership Council, which promotes the conservation of Canada's Boreal through a network of protected areas and best practices by industry.

CPAWS-Manitoba is part of a national organization with a network of 13 chapters, 20,000 members, over 50 staff and hundreds of committed volunteers. Since 1963 CPAWS has helped to conserve over 400,000 square kilometers of Canada's most treasured wild places in parks and other protected areas.

Contact:

Ron Thiessen, CPAWS-Manitoba, 204-794 4971 or 204-453 6346.

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Contact
Ron Thiessen
Executive Director
CPAWS Manitoba
204 794 4971 or 204 949 0782

For more information, read the special report - Ochiwasahow: The Fisher Bay Area

About The Big Wild™

The Big Wild™ is an initiative launched by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) to mobilize Canadians to demonstrate support for the protection of Canada’s publicly-owned wilderness. The vision of the movement is that Canada will protect at least half of our wilderness from industrial development.
www.thebigwild.org

Contact:

Sophie Paradis
Communications manager
CPAWS-Quebec
514 278-7627 ext 221
www.snapqc.org
 

"This is an international black eye for Canada's reputation as a place to do business and as a fair and just society. First Nations should have the right to balance mining with other values, including the option to say "no" to mining when warranted," commented Janet Sumner of CPAWS Wildlands League. "Values such as conservation planning, climate change and Aboriginal Rights need to be put on par with mining. We are living in the 21st century with a mining law that dates back to the colonial era. It needs to be reformed."

The current system of granting mineral claims without prior consultation and accommodation conflicts with constitutionally protected Aboriginal and treaty rights and disregards conservation planning or other land use priorities. Seven First Nations' leaders are currently serving extended jail
sentences for preventing mining exploration on their traditional lands. Their plight has brought national attention to the antiquated mining law. The weekend story brings the problem to a broader international audience, most importantly, international investors.

The Financial Times ranks among the world's most influential, international financial newspapers. The paper is based in London, one of the world's leading mining investment centers. The Financial Times' circulation is second only to the Wall St. Journal among the world's financial newspapers.

Read the full story at:
http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto050920082209063362

For further information:

Anna Baggio
Director Conservation Land Use Planning
CPAWS Wildlands League
(416) 453-3285
anna@wildlandsleague.org;

Jacob Ostaman
Acting Spokesperson for KI
(807) 537-2263;
 
Co-Chief Mireille Lapointe
Ardoch Algonquins
(613) 273-3530;

Chris Reid
lawyer for KI and Ardoch Algonquins
(416) 666-2914 cell