We asked the question already but in light of the Gros Morne fiasco, one must wonder what happened to a piece of legislation we were told in 2003 was supposed to help deal with federal provincial co-ordination on environmental issues.
Like the whole Lower Churchill project, not just slinging hydro lines through a UNESCO World Heritage site.
From the 2003 Provincial Conservative policy manual, no longer available on the party website:
The Sustainable Development Act will be the legislative framework for a Strategic Environmental Management Plan, which will have the long-term goal of achieving environmental and economic sustainability and a high quality of life for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The Plan will incorporate management systems that:
- Integrate environmental considerations into all government decision-making processes.
- Involve all sectors of the Province in identifying common values and working towards a shared vision of a sustainable and prosperous future.
- Utilize a variety of experts to ensure that management decisions are guided by reliable information.
- Provide a framework to coordinate activities across federal, provincial and municipal jurisdictions, and cooperation among various government departments and agencies.
- Create a stable and predictable regulatory environment that will benefit all interests.
- Promote the use of environmentally-friendly technology to meet the objective of sustainable, responsible resource development.
- Promote private sector investment in recycling, heritage conservation, eco-tourism and other business opportunities in the environment sector.
- Make use of environmental resources to create new wealth and generate employment in rural areas of the Province. [Bolding added]
Promised 2003.
Passed 2007.
Still not in force, 2009 and no sign of it showing up soon.
-srbp-
