The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Public spending on the environment in Canada, broadly defined, has exploded. But what are we really getting for all this money and, more importantly, what are we seeing in the way of real environmental changes such as cleaner air and water, more wildlife, endangered species recovery and better flood control? In 2006, the Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, Johanne Glinas, issued a critical report on the climate change activities of the Government of Canada from 1997 to 2005. She noted, ÒSince 1997, the government has announced over $6 billion in funding for initiatives on climate change.Ó The Commissioner went on to say: ÒOn the whole, the governmentÕs response to climate change is not a good story. At a government-wide level, our audits revealed inadequate leadership, planning and performance. To date, the approach has lacked foresight and direction and has created confusion and uncertainty for those trying to deal with it.Ó The CommissionerÕs example points to an appalling waste of money and resources at a time when we have real environmental problems which are not being addressed. What did that $6 billion buy us, besides an increase in the size of the federal civil service? For example, take Lake Winnipeg. The lake experiences serious algae blooms due to excess nutrient inflows. But the provincial and federal response has simply been more boards, commissions and advisory boards. In 1998, we got the Lake Winnipeg Research Consortium. In 2003, the Manitoba government released the Lake Winnipeg Action Plan, and then created the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board (LWSB). That was followed, in 2005, by a ÒReport on Public Discussion. Finally, last year, the LWSB released its final report. Not to be outdone, the the federal Conservatives announced it would spend $18 million on Lake Winnipeg, assuring us that ÒThe increased funding for the clean up of the Lake Winnipeg Basin will support a science-based approach to understanding how nutrient runoff affects the ecology of the lake and how to control nutrient contributions in watersheds.Ó But we already know Òhow to control nutrient contributions in watersheds.Ó What we really need are programs that actually fix things, not more studies and committees. Not one cent of the money spent so far has kept one nutrient molecule from entering Lake Winnipeg. This is an edited version of an editorial by Robert Sopuck, Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
