Data gaps in CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 water monitoring regimes could be bad for Northern waterways if left unchecked, according to a commissioner in the Office of the Auditor General.

Four reports were released last week by Julie Gelfand, the outgoing commissioner of the environment and sustainable development. These reports were on aquatic invasive species, the protection of fish from mining wastewater, and two looking at subsidies for oil and gas.

SA国际影视传媒�The Northern region for aquatic invasive species is always a concern ... because Canada is really not ready,SA国际影视传媒� says Gelfand.

SA国际影视传媒�There are not a lot of resources being put to make sure that the north doesn't get impacted by aquatic invasives, either freshwater or marine ones. That one should concern everybody because the whole country, really, is at risk.SA国际影视传媒�

Possible invasive species could be Asian carp, which are sometimes imported illegally for ornamental purposes and are wreaking havoc on waterways that lead to the southern Great Lakes.

They can eat up to 40 per cent of their body weight per day, leaving little food for native species.

SA国际影视传媒�Somebody (could) bring their recreational boat up from southern Canada with some zebra mussels that they can't see and the boat is put into Great Slave Lake or something. Who knows, right?" she said.

SA国际影视传媒�I don't know if the water temperature there is such that this particular species would live, but these species aren't always visible.SA国际影视传媒�

Gelfand said her office found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada hadnSA国际影视传媒檛 fully established where these invasive species are across the country or which species pose the greatest threat to what areas.

SA国际影视传媒�They were spending over 70 per cent of the budget related to aquatic invasive species on making sure that Asian carp didn't enter the Great Lakes and dealing with sea lamprey,SA国际影视传媒� said Gelfand.

SA国际影视传媒�So that left 30 per cent of the budget to deal with all the other potential aquatic invasive species. And right now there's 174 of them on the regulation list,SA国际影视传媒� she said, which doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 include invasive aquatic plants.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans did not respond, by press time, to a request for information on what invasive speciesSA国际影视传媒攊f anySA国际影视传媒攈ave been identified in Northern waters and are being monitored.

Mining effluent

Another report directly affecting the NWT is on the protection of fish from mining effluent.

GelfandSA国际影视传媒檚 report stated the feds are generally doing a good job monitoring waters for mining waste and mines are generally compliant with the regulations, sending weekly data and samples to laboratories. Federal inspectors visit in person less frequently.

SA国际影视传媒�In the NWT, and in the North, we found that that mines are inspected almost on average about once every 18 months,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淎nd that was the average across the country.SA国际影视传媒�

Weaker points in the data were in Ontario and in the inspections of non-metal mines.

SA国际影视传媒�What concerned us was non-metal mines and this includes coal, pot ash, oil sands, that kind of stuff,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淭hose mines were being inspected at a much lower frequencies.SA国际影视传媒�

This is despite regulations that no effluent from these particular operations enter Canadian waters.

SA国际影视传媒�Their limit is basically zero and their inspection regime is much lower and Environment Canada couldn't make me comfortable that there was no risk there.SA国际影视传媒�

These are GelfandSA国际影视传媒檚 last reports in her term as commissioner. In an outgoing statement, she also said the country is not doing enough to either lower greenhouse gas emissions or prepare for climate change and mitigate its impact.

SA国际影视传媒�This must change,SA国际影视传媒� she wrote.

Leaving her role, Gelfand said that despite this, she remains hopeful about the future.

SA国际影视传媒�You always have to. WeSA国际影视传媒檙e facing a very large problem. All of humanity is facing this issue of a climate thatSA国际影视传媒檚 changing. We must all work to reduce our emissions and we must all work to get ready to adapt to the changes.SA国际影视传媒�