March 16, 2007

FREDERICTON, New Brunswick – The Honourable Greg Thompson, Minister of Veterans Affairs, on behalf of The Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, and joined by New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham, today announced that Canada's New Government intends to provide New Brunswick with $34 million as part of the new Canada ecoTrust for Clean Air and Climate Change to support provincial projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.

"Canada's New Government is making these investments to help improve the environment for Canadians by reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution," said Minister Thompson. "Today's announcement recognizes New Brunswick's leadership in this area, and provides support for measurable progress that benefits all Canadians."

"As New Brunswickers, we need to ensure that on our journey to self-sufficiency, we are good environmental stewards.  The funding announced today will support the development of new technology and new ideas through the New Brunswick Climate Change Action Plan," said Premier Graham. "We are pleased the Government of Canada is prepared to work with the province in taking action on climate change.  This issue is too large and the stakes too high, for governments to work in isolation.   We need to come together to address climate change."

"Our government firmly believes that all Canadians and all levels of government must work together to address the threat of climate change," said Minister Baird. "With this ecoTrust funding, the province of New Brunswick will be in a better position to develop tailor-made solutions for the environmental challenges it currently faces, and in doing so contribute to the overall health of our country and our citizens."

New Brunswick's Charter for Change has already created a framework to achieve meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases (GHGs), through energy efficiency and renewable energy actions. These measures alone are anticipated to achieve GHG reductions in the order of 2.0 megatonnes of carbon dioxide or equivalent. New Brunswick is also developing a new Climate Change Action Plan that will include new specific GHG emission reductions in addition to measures already taken and will assist government in integrating climate change strategies into its planning and development decisions.

New Brunswick has indicated that it will use the Canada ecoTrust funding to support several provincial projects, which may include:

• Developing renewable fuels, such as cellulose ethanol and biodiesal, from agriculture and forest feedstock;
• Assisting in the development of projects that capture methane gases from landfills and use the captured gases to produce energy;
• Examining the use of zero emission technology for clean coal energy generation in Belledune;
• Expanding and enhancing programs to foster the efficient use of energy by residential retrofits for low-income households, innovations for new home construction and energy-efficient lighting alternatives; and,
• Promoting the more efficient use of energy by the province's forestry industries and the commercial sector.

The Canada ecoTrust for Clean Air and Climate Change will be designed to allow each province and territory to develop technology, energy efficiency and other projects that provide real results. The Government of Canada will work with all provinces and territories to fully develop this new national fund.

Canada's New Government is already taking concrete action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution by committing to implement aggressive regulations to reduce emissions in all sectors and bring in new initiatives in the energy and transportation sectors. The provincial initiatives supported by the Canada ecoTrust will complement those efforts.

The Canada ecoTrust will be established using part of the anticipated 2006-07 budgetary surplus. Resources for the Canada ecoTrust initiative will consist of $1.5 billion of new funding on a national basis. This funding will be contained in the upcoming budget and is a part of the actions being taken on the fiscal imbalance. This new funding will be available as soon as Parliament approves the budget.