News Release

Canada's New Government Invests $214 Million To Clean Up Contaminated Sites

CFB Esquimalt, July 26, 2007 - The Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment, today announced that the federal government will invest $214 million this year to clean up contaminated sites across Canada. Minister Baird made the announcement on Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt, one of the sites that will benefit from the investment. 

"Our Government takes its responsibilities to protect the health and safety of Canadians and the environment very seriously," said Minister Baird. "By making strong investments like this one, this government is ensuring that the quality of the air we breathe and the water we drink, the health of our ecosystems and the wildlife they support will be maintained for future generations of Canadians."

The funding announced today includes $189.3 million for the remediation and risk management of 279 priority contaminated sites under federal responsibility across Canada. An additional $25 million has been earmarked for the assessment of an estimated 417 sites, to determine next steps and what scientific support that is necessary to restore the site.

Approximately 11,000 sites are currently listed in the Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory. Over 6,000 of these have been assessed or classified under the National Classification System developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.

You can view the federal contaminated sites inventory at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/cs-sc/.

Related Document:

Federal Contaminated Sites Receiving Funds [Backgrounder, 2007-07-26]

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