INDIAN AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS CANADA TO CLEAN UP MANITOBA'S FEDERAL CONTAMINATED SITES

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WINNIPEG, MANITOBA (October 13, 2005) - The Government of Canada is working on the clean-up of federal contaminated sites in Manitoba. Over the next three years $11.2 million will be spent to remediate eight priority contaminated sites on First Nations in Manitoba. An additional $275,000 will be spent to assess the extent of contamination at other federal sites.

"The Government of Canada is taking action on federal contaminated sites in Manitoba with concrete measures necessary to undo the harmful effects of past practices, while ensuring that from now on environmentally-friendly values necessary to health are applied on the human, environmental and economic levels in Canada," said Raymond Simard, Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface.

"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of all Canadians," said the Honourable Andy Scott, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-status Indians. "That is why INAC is a committed partner in responding to the problem of contaminated sites. Remediation is a good opportunity to look back and make sure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past as well as an opportunity to look forward."

The cost of these federal site clean-ups is being shared between INAC and the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, with INAC contributing $2,295,789 of the overall capital cost and Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan contributing $9,192,756. This is the second year of INAC Manitoba Region's 10-year Contaminated Sites Management Plan. Information on the eight sites being cleaned up is attached.

The Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan was created in 2003 to help federal departments and agencies in efforts to manage risks associated with federal contaminated sites, especially those that pose the greatest risk to human health and the environment. The Action Plan was created to deliver on the Budget 2003 commitment of $75 million for 2003/2004 and $100 million for 2004/2005, in addition to a $100 million per year already spent by departments.

Budget 2004 provides for long-term funding of $3.5 billion for federal contaminated sites. For 2005-2006, $138.7 million has been committed nationally to remediation, risk management and care and maintenance of 97 higher-risk sites identified under the Action Plan. A further $14.3 million is set aside for technical assessments of an estimated 500 sites to determine next steps.

For more information, please contact:

Gilbert Savard
Director, Regional Secretariat
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Manitoba Regional Office
(204) 983-6195

Campbell Morrison
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
(819) 997-0002

Rita Bourgeois
Office of Raymond Simard
Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface
(204) 983-3183

Fact Sheet - Federal Contaminated Sites in Manitoba