I was pleased to join the Hon. Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth today. He just announced that under the Oceans Protection Plan we are investing more than $80 million to protect our marine and coastal areas from potential oil spills!
Part of the funding includes the creation of the new $45 million Multi-partner Oil Spill Research Initiative, which will ensure that Canada has the capability to provide the best scientific advice and tools to prevent, and respond to, oil spills in our waters.
The $45 million program will be led by DFO with support from the Canadian Coast Guard, Natural Resources Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Transport Canada.
The Multi-partner Oil Spill Research Initiative will bring together the best researchers from across the country and around the world to increase our understanding of how oil spills behave, how best to clean and contain them, and how to minimize their environmental impacts.
Of the $80 plus million, more than $17 million will go towards enhancing ocean models of winds, waves and currents, so that emergency-responders can accurately track spills and predict their path.
