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Council of Canadians request to visit Experimental Lakes Area

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, and I put in a request today with Department of Fisheries and Oceans officials to visit the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) just outside of Kenora, Ontario.

The ELA have been in the media over the past several months because of the federal government’s announcement to close the world renowned research facility earlier this year.

At the ELA, a small team of scientists study the cumulative impacts of climate change, mercury contamination, flame retardants and other current challenges to water protection. The research facility, with an annual budget of $2 million, has the capacity to conduct research unlike anywhere else in the world and has put Canada at the forefront of freshwater science globally.

The closure of the ELA, which is slated for March 2013, would stifle the critical research being conducted on freshwater sources.

Yesterday, Diane Orihel and supporters delivered petitions signed by concerned Canadians who oppose the federal government’s decision to cancel the Experimental Lakes Area program to MPs on Parliament Hill.

To read more about the ELA, click here.
To read our blogs on the ELA, click here.