January 25, 2000

Canadian officials admit pollution in Strait of Georgia

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- The Strait of Georgia faces growing air and water pollution, and money to attack the problem will be hard to come by, Canadian federal and provincial officials acknowledge.

"This ecosystem is clearly under serious threat," Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson said.

The population of the Georgia Basin region, including Vancouver and Victoria, is expected to surge from 2.9 million people to 3.6 million by 2010. The southern end of the strait lies west of Bellingham, Wash., and north of the San Juan Islands.

"You start looking at the avalanche coming down the hill, the avalanche of human population growth in the Gulf of Georgia. We have enormous problems to face up to and what we can do is sometimes very limited," Anderson said.

He and his provincial counterpart, Joan Sawicki, spoke Saturday at a news conference on the first year of the cooperative Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative, which is intended to protect critical habitat, reduce air and water pollution and work with communities on stewardship programs.

Projects that have been started under the initiative include tracing the source of airborne particles that create smog and haze, creating a model for a sustainable community and studying the effects of urban runoff on aquatic life.

Environmentalists are pressing for more land acquisition to provide habitat for dwindling species.

"I don't entirely think this is a money issue," Anderson said. "It's a question of coordinating, getting the synergy of every level of government and private industry as well.

"A lot can be done through better use of money."

When the initiative was announced in December 1998, the Canadian government provided nearly $15.4 million in additional funding over five years. Then and now, the province has offered only to redeploy existing resources and work with federal officials.

"I am always going to be a strong advocate for money for this ministry," Sawicki said, "but dollars are tight.

"We can also achieve a great deal by just making efficient use (of resources) ... and working closely with other ministries and partners."

Despite an anticipated $65.6 billion federal budget surplus over five years, Anderson said he couldn't promise more than the initial $22 million.

"Probably we'll have to look at it and see whether there's anything more that needs to be done," he said, "but people working together is more important."