News Release

Environment Minister Announces Decision on St. Theresa Point/Wasagamack Airport and Connecting Road

Hull - December 20, 2001 - Environment Minister David Anderson today announced his decision regarding the environmental assessment of the proposed St. Theresa Point/Wasagamack Airport and Connecting Road. The Minister has determined that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. The project, which consists of an airport and a 28-km all-weather road connection between St. Theresa Point First Nation and Wasagamack First Nation, has been referred back to the responsible authority, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, for appropriate action.

The project, which is located on the western shore of Island Lake, 500 km north of Winnipeg, would also include a 1524-metre gravel runway with apron and taxiway, an airport terminal building, an airport equipment storage building and associated services, as well as the decommissioning of existing airport facilities on St. Mary's Island. The new airport and the connecting road would provide the communities of St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack with year-round, safe and dependable access to an airport.

Minister Anderson made his determination based on the following considerations:

• the comprehensive study report prepared by the responsible authority; and
• the implementation of the mitigation measures and a follow-up program described in the report and supporting documents.

The project will therefore not require further environmental assessment by review panel or mediator. The St. Theresa Point/Wasagamack Airport and Connecting Road project was subject to an environmental assessment under Section 5 of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The public comment period was conducted jointly by the Province of Manitoba and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. No comments were received. The next step in this process is for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to make a decision regarding the project.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is a federal agency reporting directly to the Minister of the Environment. Its mission is to provide Canadians with high-quality environmental assessments that contribute to informed decision making in support of sustainable development. Environmental assessment is a planning tool used to identify possible significant adverse effects of development projects on the environment, and recommend measures to reduce or eliminate these effects.

For more information, please contact:

Elise Dhaussy
Communications
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Tel: (819) 953-4054
Fax: (819) 953-2891
E-mail: elise.dhaussy@ceaa-acee.gc.ca