"COS it's Cool"

As part of Canada's Oceans Strategy, we want to showcase several cool projects that are taking place that help to manage our oceans. Many Canadians, including kids, are learning about our oceans heritage and helping to conserve and manage it for future generations. Dive in and see for yourself ...

• Canada's Innovation Strategy
• COS Kids Care about our Oceans
• Oceans Management National Research Network
  Initiative

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Canada's Innovation Strategy

The Government of Canada is currently engaging Canadians in Canada's Innovation Strategy - to identify ways Canadians can work together to meet the national goals and objectives and making concrete individual commitments to improve innovation performance across all sectors of Canada's economy. The Innovation Strategy is timely as it relates to the sustainable ecomonic opportunities component of the recently released Canada's Oceans Strategy.

Through a series of meetings and events, the Government of Canada hopes to:

• Establish among all Canadian communities and organizations an innovation vision for themselves and Canada as a whole;
  
• Develop commitments to innovation and clear, actionable plans among organizations, communities, regions and sectors; and,
  
• Ensure that Canadians can help shape this national innovation vision

To provide individual input and to learn more about Canada's Innovation Strategy please visit the Innovation Strategy Website at http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca.

The site also includes a sample of sector profiles to provide an overview of various sectors that are being consulted. Sector profiles could be found at the following address: http://www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca/cmb/innovation.nsf/
MenuE/SectorProfiles

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COS Kids Care about our Oceans

Canada's Oceans Strategy provides a means for Canadians to work together to protect and manage our oceans for future generations - our children. Kids can also play an important role in protecting and managing our oceans. By engaging youth in oceans issues today, and by promoting such values as environmental stewardship, safety, sustainable use of our resources, and conservation, our children will grow up knowing the importance of our natural environment, including our oceans. Take a ride on the Big Blue Bus (http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/bbb-lgb/index_e.asp) and introduce your kids to an underwater world.

Kids who care about our oceans can make a difference by joining the Water Wizards World Oceans Club. The club is designed to engage youth ages 8 to 15 in oceans issues and encourage them to get involved in ocean conservation. When they sign up, kids receive their very own Water Wizards membership card, nickname, certificate, and an ocean goody package. Find out about the club that's making waves at http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/canwaters-eauxcan/bbb-lgb/club/index_e.asp.

"I want to let you know that your Water Wizards program is creating great awareness and excitement in my son's grade 1\2 class. The children are at such a responsive age to develop a connection with the world around them, and develop a sense of well being in relation to the obvious stress on our oceans and planet. We are also new residents to the ocean ecosystem, and this is a great opportunity to have insight for both my child and I." - Quote from Parent of Water Wizard in British Columbia

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Oceans Management National Research Network Initiative

Sound oceans management starts with sound research. In September 2000 Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), part of Industry Canada, launched the Ocean Management National Research Network to focus and encourage social science research into a wide variety of important oceans issues.

The Network provides a nation-wide forum for researchers in social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, engineering, and health sciences to share ideas and develop real-world applications from research findings. Representatives from government, the private sector, local communities, aboriginal organizations, and other groups also participate.

The results of this work will help Canadians make wiser decisions about how to manage our oceans in a sustainable way for current and future generations.

For more information visit http://www.omrn.ca, or forward an e-mail to omrn@stmarys.ca.

The essence of sustainability can be defined from metaphors of change and adaptive capacity to deal with change. The Integrated Management Node takes a complex systems approach to oceans management -- an approach which is participatory, learning-based, and adaptive. - Fikret Berkes, Coordinator of Integrated Management Node of the OMRN, Professor and Canada Research Chair " an innovative linkage of research disciplines which will make a significant contribution to the implementation of Canada's Ocean Strategy." - Michael J.A. Butler, Chair, ACZISC, International Oceans Institute of Canada

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