Province Welcomes Strengthened Tidal Program

ENERGY--Province Welcomes Strengthened Tidal Program

• ---------------------------------------------------------------Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks welcomed appointments to two new committees today, Oct. 26, that will help guide the work of the tidal demonstration project in the Minas Passage.

One committee will provide advice around environmental effects monitoring and the second will serve as a liaison between people involved in the project and the surrounding communities.

"Tidal technology can play a role in protecting our environment and sustaining our communities," said Mr. Estabrooks. "These committees will help ensure that role is open and transparent, right from the start."

The Environmental Monitoring Advisory Committee will provide independent scientific traditional ecological knowledge to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE).

Anna Redden, director of the Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research at Acadia University, and Donald Gordon, emeritus scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, will co-chair the committee.

"The role of the committee will be to review the environmental effects monitoring programs and available data and make recommendations for monitoring the environmental effects of tidal power technologies in Minas Passage," said Ms. Redden.

The Community Liaison Committee will link local organizations, community, and FORCE participants, providing a forum to discuss tidal project-related issues and share information as the project proceeds. The committee is co-chaired by Lois Smith, Parrsboro municipal councillor, and Joe Kozak, FORCE representative.

"This is about keeping everyone in the conversation," said Ms. Smith. "FORCE has international significance, but it's also a local project, and this committee will serve to keep the community actively involved."

Both committees will have representation from the fishing sector, Mi'kmaq, government, technology developers, and FORCE. The environmental monitoring advisory committee will also include members of the academic community. The community liaison committee will include members of the general public.

"We are all in this tidal project together," said Mr. Estabrooks. "Every Nova Scotian is making a contribution, from public dollars for research to local expertise from the fishing sector in Digby, academics in Wolfville and engineers in Dartmouth. This project is a small-scale experiment to see if this new technology can work, and everyone will be watching very carefully."

"FORCE has an important public purpose and everyone can benefit from the advice of scientists, the fishing sector, residents and First Nations people," said chair John Woods said. "The work of the committees will help us direct the project and serve as an important link to the communities that surround the Bay of Fundy."

Initial appointments to both committees were made by FORCE, a partnership between developers and the province.