Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy: Departmental Website Component of the 2012-2013 Report on Plans and Priorities

The ZIP Program (zones d’interventions prioritaires/areas of prime concern) funds 14 groups for the purpose of encouraging local and regional collaboration among the various stakeholders involved in the governance of the St. Lawrence and engaging them in improving its environmental quality.

Community action projects will be funded through contribution agreements with local organizations under the Community Interaction Program (CIP). This funding supports community projects related to the objectives of the Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of water quality.

Performance expectations:

• Annual number of projects completed (Community Interaction Program indicator).
• Zip Program performance indicators for 2012–2013.

The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence was signed on November 29, 2011. Under this Agreement, governments will implement projects dealing with priority issues of concern to the St. Lawrence and leverage cooperative and collaborative mechanisms to engage stakeholders in the governance of the river.

Performance expectations:

• Number of organizations (government departments/agencies and non-governmental organizations) participating in the implementation of the St. Lawrence Action Plan.

The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence was signed on November 29, 2011. Implementation and monitoring of the Agreement will be based on expected outcomes in three priority areas as outlined in the 2011–2016 Action Plan: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of water quality.

The intergovernmental Monitoring the State of the St. Lawrence River Program was renewed under this Agreement. This program provides an overview of the state of the St. Lawrence by monitoring environmental indicators.

The Overview of the State of the St. Lawrence River and factsheets on environmental indicators are published on a regular basis by partners of the St. Lawrence Monitoring Program.

Performance expectations:

• Next version of the Overview of the State of the St. Lawrence River to be published in 2014–2015.
• Factsheets on environmental indicators published in 2012–2013.
• State of the St. Lawrence River Forum in 2012.

The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence was announced and signed on November 29, 2011. An intergovernmental environmental prediction program for the river was created under this Agreement. The Agreement contains an Appendix exclusively related to this program.

Implementation and monitoring of the Agreement will be based on expected outcomes in three priority areas as outlined in the 2011–2016 Action Plan: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of water quality.

The implementation of the St. Lawrence River Monitoring Program involves different partners from federal and provincial governments and Non Government Organizations (NGOs), including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada Agency, Canadian Space Agency, the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec and the Ministère des Ressources Naturelles et de la Faune du Québec. Together these efforts produce information on environmental indicators as well as an overview of the State of the River.

Performance expectations:

• Dissemination of knowledge acquired through the St. Lawrence Action Plan (e.g. articles, conferences, models).
• Annual meetings with co-leads of all Working Groups and Issue Committees to ensure a good meshing of scientific activities.
• Agreement Steering Committee’s meetings to look into the state of work and possible gaps in the meshing of scientific activities.

The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence was signed on November 29, 2011. Implementation and monitoring of the Agreement will be based on expected outcomes in three priority areas as outlined in the 2011–2016 Action Plan: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of water quality.

Several Environment Canada programs and activities will support the implementation of the Canada-Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence. The Department’s total contribution will be monitored under the Department's St. Lawrence Ecosystem Initiative.

Performance expectations:

• Indicators include a status update on projects conducted under the 2011–2016 Action Plan and the Department's financial contribution based on projects carried out under the plan.

The Canada–Quebec Agreement on the St. Lawrence was signed on November 29, 2011. Implementation and monitoring of the Agreement will be based on expected outcomes in three priority areas as outlined in the 2011–2016 Action Plan: biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and improvement of water quality.

An intergovernmental steering committee was created in the winter of 2012 to ensure annual monitoring of results required by the Agreement.

Performance expectations:

• Indicators include a status update on projects conducted under the 2011-2016 Action Plan and the Department's financial contribution based on projects carried out under the plan.