News Release

Environment Minister Reaches Decision on the Proposed Water Supply System for the Town of Oxford, Nova Scotia

OTTAWA, January 17, 2001 -Environment Minister David Anderson today announced the approval of the environmental assessment of a new water supply system which will provide a reliable source of quality water for the Town of Oxford, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. The Minister concluded that the water supply project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects provided that the mitigation measures identified in the environmental assessment report are implemented. He has, therefore, referred the project back to the Minister of Human Resources Development (HRDC) and the Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the responsible authorities for the project, for appropriate action.

Minister Anderson made his determination on the project based on a consideration of the following:

• the environmental assessment report prepared by Public Works and Government Services Canada on behalf of ACOA and HRDC, as the responsible authorities for the project;
• public comments received during public consultation on the environmental assessment report and the responsible authorities' response to them; and
• the implementation of the mitigation measures and a follow-up program described in the report.

A follow-up program will be implemented to monitor the ongoing effectiveness of the mitigation measures. In addition, as a result of the assessment, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq will be provided the opportunity to participate in the archeological assessment during the construction of the project.

The Town of Oxford water supply project was subject to a comprehensive study as set out in regulations under theCanadian Environmental Assessment Act.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is a federal agency reporting directly to the Minister of the Environment. Environmental assessment is a planning tool used to identify the possible adverse effects of development projects on the environment, and recommend measures to reduce or eliminate these effects.

For more information, please contact:

Johanne Beaulieu
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
Tel.: (819) 953-2101

Gordon Harris
A/Director, Communications
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Tel: (819) 953-5045