Government needs to enforce rules - environmentalist

WebPosted Dec 3 2003 01:36 PM EST
Nb.cbc.ca

SHEDIAC - Some people in New Brunswick are questioning the government's ability to enforce its own regulations because of a dispute with a landowner in Shediac.
This week, the Department of Environment finally convinced a developer to stop working near a protected wetland near Parlee Beach.
Gilles LeBlanc shut down his bulldozer and trucks Tuesday, a year after residents started complaining.

From Dec. 2, 2003: Marsh development stopped

Environmentalist Daniel Leblanc says with its new Clean Water Act, the government is taking steps to protect fragile ecosystems such as the marsh near Shediac. But he says it just doesn't have the officers to enforce the law.
Leblanc says people are much more environmentally aware these days and the government should expect to hear a lot more complaints in the future.
It took two public protests and three stop work orders from the environment department, to stop the machines from filling in part of the marsh near Shediac. In the meantime, say local residents, a lot of damage was done.
Environment Minister Brenda Fowlie defends her department's ability to crackdown on offenders.
"I would say that the department is well prepared to deal with complaints."
A scientist with the the Canadian Wildlife Service in Sackville says the Shediac case shows attitudes are changing. But Al Hanson says more has to be done to preserve wetlands in the province.
He says salt marshes and other wetlands provide a home to a range of wildlife and they protect coastal areas from erosion. Despite that, Hanson says, it hasn't stopped people from building on them.
"For a number of years we haven't viewed wetlands in terms of their value to society. So we've drained them, we've filled them in. And we've reached a point where we only have very few wetlands remaining. So the ones that do remain, we really do have to protect them."