Government Of Canada Announces That A New Operator For The Experimental Lakes Area Has Been Secured

Ottawa, ON (Marketwired) - The Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and Joyce Bateman, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced that agreements have been finalized with the new operator of the Experimental Lakes Area, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD ELA Inc.) These agreements mean that the federal government has fulfilled its commitments to ensuring that research at the Experimental Lakes Area can continue under a new operator.

As part of the federal agreement, IISD will receive surplus assets and operational funding of $1 million over four years to help with the transition. The federal government has been working with the Government of Ontario and IISD since September 2012, in order to secure a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area better suited to conduct whole-lake experiments.

Quick Facts

• In August 2013, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Government of Ontario and the International Institute for Sustainable Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This document included a commitment for definitive agreements to be finalized on the future of the Experimental Lakes Area by March 31, 2014.
• In February 2014, the federal government announced that the proposed Experimental Lakes Area Research Activities Regulations had been published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. When finalized later this spring, these regulations would authorize the new operator to continue scientific research at the Experimental Lakes Area.
• The Experimental Lakes Area is a unique, world-class facility for conducting whole-lake experiments and can provide significant contributions to scientific knowledge of freshwater ecosystems.

Quotes
"I am pleased to announce that the federal government has secured a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area," said the Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario. "The federal government has been leading negotiations to transfer the Experimental Lakes Area for the past year and we are pleased IISD will continue the work of the ELA."

"With these agreements and upcoming regulations, our Government has followed through on its commitment to ensure that scientific research can continue at the ELA. In addition to the donation of surplus moveable assets, I am pleased that our Government will provide financial support to IISD to help with the transition," said Joyce Bateman, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Centre.

"This agreement opens a fresh, new chapter in the life of the ELA," said Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of IISD. "Together, IISD and ELA will support world-class, science-based observations that will help shape policies needed to understand and respond to mounting threats to our freshwater resources, from the impact of mercury from coal-fired electricity generating plants to the effects of climate change on water hydrology. We are grateful for the commitment of the Government of Canada and other partners."

Associated Links

• News Release - Experimental Lakes Area to Remain Open
• News Release - Government of Canada Announces Proposed Regulations to Experimental Lakes Area Research Activities
• Backgrounder - Remediation at the Experimental Lakes Area

Internet: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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