The Winnipeg Free Press reports, “The federal government has reached an agreement to transfer the Experimental Lakes Area to a Winnipeg-based environmental think-tank (the International Institute for Sustainable Development). …This step doesn’t actually transfer the program yet, but outlines how the negotiations to do so will proceed. In the meantime, Ottawa will provide support for some work this summer so scientists with active research at the ELA site in northwestern Ontario can continue their work uninterrupted.”
The article adds, “The negotiations need to sort out issues such as operational support, data sharing and the transfer of material assets, as well as an agreement on who will be responsible for remediation of the site if ELA should ever close. That last part has been a major sticking point in ELA’s future because the costs are said to be anywhere from $5 to $50 million.”
“A few weeks ago, Ontario suddenly announced it was willing to provide some funding for the program but wanted Ottawa, IISD and Manitoba at the table as well. Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said this week if Ottawa is at the table, Manitoba would be willing to provide some resources for ELA as well.”
The Globe and Mail adds, “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) shuttered the site at the start of April, preventing scientists from getting to the lakes, and the researchers were worried that they would not be allowed back this season.”
“The DFO says it will conduct a sampling program over the summer of 2013 as part of the transition to maintain important scientific research and ensure that long-term data sets can continue uninterrupted. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will work with scientists who have active research at the Experimental Lakes Area to support their needs for the upcoming summer research season, including monitoring activities and requirements to access their equipment.”
And Thunder Bay’s Tbnewswatch.ca notes, “A local representative of the Council of Canadians is cautiously optimistic about news research will continue this year at the Experimental Lakes Area. Ruth Cook said she’s pleased the federal government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Winnipeg’s International Institute for Sustainable Development to become the third-party operator of the ELA… ‘We do have some concerns, I think, because this is just temporary. This guarantees that the ELA will be open and functioning for 2013, but we don’t have any knowledge of what will happen in the future after that,’ Cook said Thursday afternoon. ‘We will be monitoring the negotiations as they go on to hope that we see a positive outcome for the future of the site…’ Cook said the closure could actually be a blessing in disguise now that IISD has agreed to take the reins. ‘It’s kind of a good-news story because the federal government muzzles all the scientists that are working for them. They have fired a lot of scientists working for the federal government. And they have not allowed scientists to publish their research freely,’ Cook said.”
