The federal government is helping to restore and protect the St. Marys River with $95,000 from the Great Lakes Sustainibility Fund, Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan announced today.
The funding will be used by Batchewana First Nation for degraded fish habitats, and by Algoma University for its Remedial Action Plan.
The following is a news release isued today by the office of Terry Sheehan:
On behalf of the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Terry Sheehan, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (FedNor) is proud to announce $95,000 from the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund to protect and restore the St. Marys River.
This funding is part of the federal government’s strategy to identify, restore, and protect Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes region by rehabilitating fish and wildlife habitats, remediating contaminated sediment, and improving municipal wastewater processes.
Of this funding, $50,000 will be used by Batchewana First Nation to remediate degraded fish habitats, and $45,000 will be used by Algoma University to engage stakeholders and implement the Remedial Action Plan. You can learn more about the St. Marys River Area of Concern here.
Quotes
“Our government has been supporting projects in the St. Marys River for a number of years, and we’ve seen tremendous improvements. This is a big win for the people of Sault Ste. Marie who enjoy spending time in our unique natural environment. I’m proud of Batchewana First Nation’s Natural Resources Department and Algoma University for keeping our environment healthy.” – Terry Sheehan, Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie
“The funding received from the Great Lakes Protection Initiative will support action at the local level to restore water quality and ecosystem health by implementing projects identified in the St. Marys River Remedial Action Plan. The goals of the project include coordinating inter-agency collaboration, facilitating communication between stakeholder agencies, and engaging in community liaison and public outreach." – Lisa Derickx, Remedial Action Plan coordinator, Algoma University