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MINISTER REGAN ANNOUNCES
INDEPENDENT CHAIR OF NEW COMMITTEE
Vancouver - The Honourable
Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced
the appointment of Bryan Williams as the independent chairperson
of the 2004 salmon post-season review. This review will be led
by Mr. Williams and will be conducted by the newly formed
Integrated salmon Harvest Planning Committee (IHPC) for southern
B.C. It will also provide for public input.
“Mr. Williams is a skilled negotiator, arbitrator and jurist,”
said Minister Regan. “I have the utmost confidence that he will
lead the IHPC discussions regarding the post-season review in a
productive and efficient manner, which will in turn provide the
Department with advice on the management of our salmon
resource.”
Mr. Williams was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British
Columbia from 1996 to 2000. He is now associate counsel with the
Vancouver law firm Miller Thomson. He has a particular expertise
in all forms of alternate dispute resolution, including
mediation and arbitration.
The first meeting of the IHPC is scheduled for November 18. One
of the committee’s first tasks will be to conduct a post-season
review, under the leadership of Mr. Williams, of the 2004 salmon
fishery, as announced on October 20, 2004. The review will
emphasize consultation processes, conservation objectives, risk
management, adequacy of data, process for decision making, and
DFO fisheries management processes. The intent of the review is
to focus on recommendations for the future management of
southern BC salmon fisheries.
The IHPC is comprised of representatives from First Nations, and
commercial, recreational and environmental interests.
Participants on the committees are nominated by their respective
organizations/sectors based on scientific, technical, ecological
or traditional expertise/knowledge, and those nominations are
forwarded to DFO.
The committee has been established
by the Department to provide formal advice and make
recommendations to DFO on operational decisions related to
salmon harvesting in the Pacific Region. The goal of the
committee is to ensure fishing plans are coordinated and
integrated, to identify potential conflicts, and to recommend a
means of resolving disputes.
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Backgrounder:
Terms of Reference - 2004 Southern Salmon Fishery Post-Season
Review
For further information:
Michelle Imbeau
Communications Officer
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific
Region
(604) 666-2872
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