Southern Resident Killer Whale Symposium

October 10-12, 2017
Vancouver, British Columbia

What We Heard Report

CALL TO ACTION

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport

Key Messages

The purpose of this symposium is to bring people together, to discuss the complex issues, options for action, and shared responsibilities associated with supporting the protection and recovery of the SRKW.

As part of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan, the Government of Canada is investing close to $20 million over the next five years to chart high-traffic ports and nearshore areas in British Columbia. This new investment will contribute to safer navigation of British Columbia’s nearshore areas and will help protect the marine environment for the SRKW.

Along with DFO, TC is involved in several initiatives to better understand the impact of underwater vessel noise, and implement strategies to reduce its impact on the SRKW. We have identified potential solutions and some are being tested, such as speed reductions and cleaning hulls.

TC is working with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the State of Washington, and the International Maritime Organization, to share research and best practices, and identify opportunities for collaborative action. Meetings also take place regularly between TC and Canadian marine stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, industry, as well as with American partners, to identify opportunities for joint action and research. There are also many examples of research and actions that are already underway.

“Today’s conversations must focus on where we go from here. I ask you to be innovative; I ask you to be bold; I ask you to be constructive; be pragmatic; be honest. We need a collective plan that will be adaptive, integrating new data and information as it becomes available. We need our plan to be collaborative – no one can do this alone. We need our plan to be focused on the here and now, but also on the longer term.”

Jonathan Wilkinson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Key Messages

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the entire Government of Canada take the protection of endangered species seriously. We believe strongly that positive progress on the protection of Canada’s species at risk can be achieved through collaborative efforts, including multi-stakeholder approaches with partners and stakeholders.

Contaminants can originate from a number of sources, such as industrial releases, contaminated sites, or through wastewater effluent. Some of these contaminants can also travel long distances and it is therefore important that international action be taken. To address these contaminants, the Government of Canada participates actively in international venues to encourage global reduction and use. Through the Government of Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan, Canada is assessing thousands of substances and putting in place controls to protect human health and the environment.

Given that wastewater effluents contain contaminants, the Government of Canada is providing $400,000 in 2017 to the Canadian Water Network for a technical review of contaminants in wastewater and technologies to address them. Furthermore, the Government of Canada is contributing up to $170 million towards upgrading the Capital Regional District (Victoria) wastewater treatment plant and $212 million to improve the Lions Gate (Vancouver) wastewater treatment plant.

“To be successful, what we all require is a focus on science-based, thoughtful, innovative, creative paths forward - paths forward that will generate the biodiversity outcomes we desire while concurrently being sensitive to the legitimate concerns of all key stakeholders.”