GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTS IN COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS IN EDMONTON

EDMONTON, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, today announced funding from the EcoAction Community Funding Program for a new environmental project in Edmonton, Alberta. $21,320 in federal funding will support local action to reduce pollution, improve air and water quality, and protect wildlife and natural habitat.

"As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, Canada has demonstrated great leadership," said MP Goldring. "In Edmonton East, our government, in partnership with the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) and the City of Edmonton, is making a significant contribution to biodiversity by empowering new Canadians with the skills to become better stewards of our environment."

"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. Your actions, large or small, will help to protect the abundance and variety of life that is part of our natural heritage."

This project will see the development of an educational resource called the Edmonton Biokit. Community members of many different ages and language groups will be offered the Edmonton Biokit, an educational resource emphasizing the value of the city's natural areas and biodiversity. Two planned events will focus on stewarding and restoring natural areas through tree planting, clean-up and naturalization work.

"The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers provides a variety of programming to support the full integration of newcomers," said Suzanne Gross, director of immigration and settlement with the EMCN. "In recent years, we have created opportunities for camping and exploration of provincial parks. The BioKit project is a natural extension of this effort."

"Our hope is that, in creating the Edmonton BioKit, we can help people to explore and learn about the incredible biodiversity right here at home and its true value in our city," said Angela Hobson, ecological planner with the City of Edmonton's Office of Natural Areas. "The BioKit will help newcomers and other community members discover natural areas within the City of Edmonton, deeply understand and appreciate them, and learn how they can help to steward them."

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 locally-based, non-profit organizations in initiating actions that result in cleaner air, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, 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 website 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: www.facebook.com/environmentcan

(Également offert en français)