GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTS IN A COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT IN
SAINT-AUBERT

OTTAWA, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - Canada's Environment Minister, the Honourable Jim Prentice, today announced funding of $18,000 from the EcoAction Community Funding Program, to revitalize the shores of Lac Trois-Saumons in Saint Aubert, Quebec. 

"As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, this Government is committed to addressing the environmental priorities of Canadians," said Minister Prentice. "We are proud to support community groups across the country willing to take concrete action through on-the-ground environmental projects that will achieve a more sustainable Canada. Their actions, large or small, will help to protect the abundance and variety of life that is part of our natural heritage."

For two years, the Club des résidents du Lac Trois-Saumons has been trying to minimize and prevent cyanobacteria in the lake. The funding from Environment Canada's EcoAction Community Funding Program will help to plant some 900 shrubs along the lakeshore to reduce erosion and capture phosphorus present in the lake, while involving shoreline residents and raising their awareness of what can be done to conserve the water quality of Lac Trois-Saumons.

"This project brings together and actively involves the residents and the municipality of Saint-Aubert, as well as the businesses and community organizations of the region. This high level of participation by the community demonstrates a real willingness on the part of the shoreline residents of Lac Trois-Saumons to conserve the water quality of the lake," said Marie Nadeau, President of the Club des résidents du Lac Trois-Saumons.

The EcoAction Community Funding Program is a Government of Canada initiative that supports projects that rehabilitate, protect or enhance the natural environment, and builds the capacity of communities and individuals in support of a more sustainable Canada. The project announced today will assist the Club des résidents du Lac Trois-Saumons in initiating actions that result in cleaner water, and the protection of nature at the local community level.

More information about the EcoAction Community Funding Program is available on Environment Canada's website, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/ecoaction.

For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit the Web site of Environment Canada, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

For further information:

Pascale Boulay Press Secretary Office of the Minister of the Environment 819-997-1441	Media Relations Environment Canada 819-934-8008 1-888-908-8008
Canada's Environment Minister Twitter page: http://twitter.com/jimprentice	Environment Canada's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/environmentcan

(Également offert en français)