Attention News Editors: Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, issued the following statement with respect to the release of the new watershed management plan for Shediac Bay. She is available for interviews.
“We applaud the members of the technical working group and department for moving us one step closer to better protections for Parlee Beach, Shediac Bay and its tributaries.
This is an important and long overdue step in taking a collaborative approach to identifying and fixing the threats to the Shediac Bay watershed, such as outdated, leaky sewage systems and ill-advised shoreline developments.
A healthy watershed means healthy swimming. It means healthy coasts and beaches, and healthy New Brunswickers and visitors enjoying our beautiful waters.
The experience at Parlee Beach over the last five years is a flashing red danger light for water quality across the province, showing what can happen when we don’t look at the health of whole watersheds and fail to bring into force laws that protect them and our coasts.
There’s two key unanswered questions in the Shediac Bay plan. One: where is the money to make this happen? And two: when does it change from being voluntary to required? We can’t protect water quality through voluntary actions alone.
The provincial water strategy, released in 2018, recognized that voluntary actions weren’t enough to protect New Brunswickers’ water. Yet in almost four years the province has yet to introduce the strategy’s key action item: a province-wide watershed protection law. This would make watershed protection action plans mandatory and legally-enforceable and set science-based water quality standards.
With the growing threats and pressures from development and climate change, we don’t have any more time to lose in bringing this critical piece of water protection legislation into force.
It is time for the full implementation of the actions laid out in the watershed protection strategy and to deliver to New Brunswickers the modern protections we need to ensure the health of our communities and waters, including our beloved beaches, rivers, lakes, streams, bays, wetlands and drinking water supplies.”
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Recommended links:
- Read the province’s press release on the watershed management plan here.
- Read the full report, released Friday, Oct. 22, here.
- Read our April 2018 statement on the Parlee Beach water quality reports and recommendations here.
- Read the Conservation Council’s release on the Water Protection Strategy here.
For more information to to arrange an interview, contact:
Jon MacNeill, Communications Director: jon.macneill@conservationcouncil.ca | 506-238-2529