| Dallas, 12/06/2000 – The Council of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) today instructed the CEC Secretariat to release to the public the 'BC Hydro' factual record. The decision to release the 118-page document was reached by consensus.
The document was prepared by the CEC in response to a submission by the B.C. Aboriginal Fisheries Commission, et. al., (SEM-97-001) that alleges the Government of Canada is failing to "enforce s. 35(1) of the Fisheries Act...to ensure the protection of fish and fish habitat in British Columbia's rivers from ongoing and repeated environmental damage caused by hydro-electric dams."
The purpose of a factual record is to clarify the facts as they pertain to allegations raised by the submitter and information provided by the Parties and public.
Under Article 14 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the CEC may consider a submission from any person or nongovernmental organization asserting that a Party to NAAEC is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law. Where the CEC Secretariat determines that the NAAEC Article 14(1) criteria are met, it may then proceed with a process that, with the agreement of the CEC Council, can lead to the development of a factual record on the matter.
The CEC was established under the NAAEC to address environmental issues in North America from a continental perspective, with a particular focus on those arising in the context of liberalized trade. The CEC Council, the organization's governing body, is composed of the environment ministers of Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The BC Hydro factual record is available on the SEM-97-001 page.
The public may also request printed copies by contacting the CEC Secretariat office:
Submissions on Enforcement Matters Unit
Commission for Environmental Cooperation
393, rue Saint-Jacques Ouest
Bureau 200
Montréal (Québec) Canada
H2Y 1N9
Tel: (514) 350-4300
Fax: (514) 350-4314
E-mail: info@ccemtl.org
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