Thank you [emcee], and good [morning/afternoon] ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, I am pleased to be here with you today to announce the funding phase of Lac La Biche’s watershed project. Through the Green Municipal Fund, the Government of Canada has committed $225,000 to support this project. This government is proud to support communities that are taking the initiative to allow development while seeking the maximum environmental benefits possible. The funding will help in the comprehensive study of the aquatic environment and riparian areas of Lakeland County and the Town of Lac La Biche.

As you know, an important partner in helping realize your goals is the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Through the FCM and the Green Municipal Fund, a great number of similar projects are underway across the country.

These projects will help us address our environmental challenges. They will also help our communities become more energy efficient and improve where we live.

The Government of Canada has joined with the FCM in helping many municipalities begin finding solutions to address environmental issues. We work as partners, and together we have created a long history of cooperation and achievement.

This government has demonstrated our commitment to the environment. Canadians are concerned about our air quality and its effects on our health and environment. And so are we.

As one example of this commitment, the Prime Minister recently introduced the Clean Air Act to fulfil new and stronger federal regulations on air pollution. This government introduced a number of actions that have formed the basis of Canada’s agenda for clean air.

This is in addition to what we have already achieved on the environment. We are investing up to $1.3 billion in urban transit, plus an estimated $1.1 billion over five years in the form of a tax credit to help with the cost of monthly transit passes. This is equal to two months of free public transit for individual Canadians.

We are also helping Canadians make cleaner fuel choices by working with the provinces to increase the average renewable fuel content in gasoline and diesel fuel to five percent by 2010.

In addition, we are developing a new national Air Quality Health Index, together with provincial and municipal governments, as well as other partners. This health-information tool will be the first of its kind in the world.

Canada’s New Government is taking comprehensive action for the environment. We will assume leadership. But addressing air pollution is a shared responsibility.

Like Lac La Biche, small towns and large cities across Canada are also taking steps to become more environmentally sound. The Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities will continue to support their efforts through the Green Municipal Fund.

Yours is an exciting project, and I’m impressed by your commitment to make it work. It has the potential to make significant and positive changes for this community. It points in the direction that towns should take when building sustainable communities.

I congratulate Lakeland County and the Town of Lac La Biche for doing the right thing for the environment, for this area, and for all Canadians.

Thank you


- 30 -