Maple Ridge B.C. seeks restoration of federal Fisheries Act

Maple Ridge is talking tough to the federal Liberals when it comes to protecting fish – the same way it did to the Tories four years ago. A Nov. 28 letter from Mayor Nicole Read asks the Liberal government to restore the previous “ecosystems-based approach” to the Fisheries Act. Maple Ridge also wants “clear and meaningful definitions” in any new Fisheries Act and wants public involvement and disclosure of the scientific basis for changing the act. A parliamentary committee is reviewing the Fisheries Act, following drastic changes made by the preceding Conservatives, which removed fish habitat protection. The 2012 changes to the Fisheries Act removed general projection of fish habitat and focused on projecting  aboriginal, sport or commercial fisheries from “serious harm.” This fall, the new government asked for public input on how the Fisheries Act could be restored  Read the story here 15:22

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.