The Montreal Gazette reports, “In June, Environment Canada informed the Montreal Biosphere’s 25 employees their jobs would be affected by the latest round of federal budget cuts…”
“Each year about 125,000 people visit the Biosphere – the only environmental museum in North America – to learn about the ecosystems along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.”
The Harper government intends to turn “the Biosphere’s environmental museum into a weather station” and “effectively close off public access to the Montreal landmark”.
The Council of Canadians, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and many other concerned people have opposed the closure of the Biosphere.
On August 20, Council of Canadians Board member and Montreal chapter activist Abdul Pirani addressed Mayor Gerald Tremblay and Montreal City Council, both thanking them for “running this beautiful environmental museum Biosphere since 1995 which presents activities and exhibits to better understand major environmental issues related to water, the Great Lakes, and St. Lawrence ecosystems” and requesting that they “insist for renewal with Environment Canada of its 25 year agreement which ends in 2016 so that public access to this Montreal heritage is preserved at least for now”.
