News Release

Province of New Brunswick wins 2005 Petitcodiac River Award

(Moncton – January 27, 2006) – The Province of New Brunswick has won the 2005 Petitcodiac River Award, an honour presented yearly by Petitcodiac Riverkeeper to recognize individuals, businesses, groups or government agencies that have made a significant contribution towards protecting the Petitcodiac River ecosystem.

The honour this year is bestowed to two different Departments of the Province for their work in carrying out and overseeing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the Petitcodiac River’s future: the Department of Supply and Services (project proponent) and the Department of Environment and Local Government (project regulator), as well as the Premier’s Office for its leadership role in supporting and completing the EIA regardless of the challenges faced.“We are especially pleased to acknowledge the leadership that Premier Bernard Lord has exercised in bringing this urgent issue to a successful resolution,” says Riverkeeper Daniel LeBlanc. “He has been true to his word.”Seven years after Bernard Lord first made an election promise to conduct a full environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the Petitcodiac River, and almost five years since the EIA process began, the extensive river study is now complete and recommends permanently opening the causeway.

“People in this region have been waiting for decades to see the Petitcodiac River, its fisheries and its tidal bore restored,” says LeBlanc. “The EIA now provides clear solutions to move forward with in order to resolve the causeway problem. Once implemented, I think the project to restore the Petitcodiac River will be recognized as one of the most important environmental legacies of this government,” he concludes.This is the fourth year that Riverkeeper presents the Petitcodiac River Award, which consists of a work of art created by a different artist every year. The former recipients are:

• 2002: L’École Amirault in Dieppe for its year-long education project on the Petitcodiac River. Award created by artist Charles Legresley.

  2003: Environment Canada’s Office of Enforcement for the Atlantic Region, in Halifax, for its investigative work in resolving two long outstanding toxic discharge cases affecting Jonathan Creek (the former Moncton riverside landfill) and Humphreys Brook (textile mill effluent discharges). Award created by artist Anne-Marie Sirois.

• 2004: The arts community as a whole, for its exemplary generosity and longstanding commitment to the cause of restoring free-flow to the Petitcodiac River. Award created by artist Brian Branch.

The 2005 Petitcodiac River Award has been created by well-known artist Raymond Martin. Next week, Riverkeeper will unveil its annual list of the 10 worst pollution sources of the Petitcodiac River ecosystem in 2005.

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INFORMATION : Daniel LeBlanc
Tel. (506) 388-5337
www.petitcodiac.org

Louisa Barton-Duguay
Tel. 855-9119
SOS Eau Water Sankwan

Denny Richard
Tel. 384-0625
Symbiose