From: "Gary T. Gallon" 
Subject: Gallon Environment Letter

                  THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
                          JUNE 23, 1997


_________________________________________________________________

CANADA GETS $100 MILLION IN ARMS CREDITS FROM U.S. TO CLEAN UP
U.S. MILITARY SITES IN CANADA

We've just learned that in the fall of 1996, Canada signed an agreement with
the United States to clean up toxic wastes on old abandoned U.S. military
sites in Canada.  The agreement "frees up" $100 million of Canadian
Department of National Defence (DND) funds for remediation of the sites,
that include 21 Distant Early Warning (DEW) sites in the Yukon and NWT, the
decommissioning of the U.S. Naval Facility Argentia in Placentia Bay,
Newfoundland, the U.S. Strategic Air Command base at Goose Bay, Labrador,
and the defunct Haines-Fairbanks oil pipeline built by the U.S. Army.
According to the Bureau of National Affairs in Washington, D.C., the deal
calls for the U.S. to  transfer credits to Canada for DND to purchase
American military hardware.  Payments will be made annually to a Foreign
Military Sales Trust Account, from which DND will draw credit,  according to
Valerie Noftle, Media Relations Officer for Canada's Dept. Of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).  Unfortunately, Canada received
only 39% of the funds it says is required to clean up the sites.  Canada
requested that the U.S. pay it $252 million for the clean.  The question
now, is where will the other $152 million come from in Canada to clean up
the U.S. sites?

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U.S. INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL R&D TECHNOLOGY FUNDING TO $5.3 BILLION FOR 1997-98

With Canada having about one-tenth the economy of the United States, Canada
should be providing about 10% of what the U.S. provides in environmental
technology R&D. Canada should be spending in the neighborhood of $530
million a year.  Instead Canada and its provinces have been letting their
support slide.  Canada dropped its Environmental Technology
Commercialization Program (ETCP) replacing it with a $250 million (over four
years) Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) program that gives most of its
funds to the defense and aerospace industries.  Ontario with over 60 per
cent of the environment technologies in Canada, dropped the Ministry of
Environment and Energy's successful Environmental Technology Program (ETP)
Canada seems to be going backwards at the very time when other OECD
countries are investing in their environment technologies industry that they
see as a growth sector. 

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NEW POWER TO PETITION THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSIONER AT THE AUDITOR GENERAL'S
OFFICE
ON FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT ISSUES

If a federal department or agency is not living up to its sustainable
development plan, you can petition the Environment and Sustainable
Development Commissioner at the Auditor General's office to take action.
Recent amendments to the Auditor General Act created a formal vehicle for
channeling public and private sector input and concern on environmental and
sustainable development issues to federal departments.  These petitions must
relate to matters that are the responsibility of those specific departments
and agencies required to prepare and implement sustainable development
strategies.  The Environment Commissioner then forwards these written
petitions to the appropriate minister on the Auditor General's behalf..
Ministers are required to respond to these petitions within a set time
period. The Commissioner monitors the status of these petitions and reports
his findings to the House of Commons in his annual report. Petitions in
writing can be forwarded to the Office of the Auditor General at the
following address: 

Auditor General of Canada or 
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
240 Sparks Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0G6
Ph. (613) 995-3708, fax  (613) 957-4023

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WESTERN ONTARIO'S GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE (GEI)         

	The Global Environmental Institute (GEI) is a new graduate-level
educational institute dedicated to an interdisciplinary and international
approach to teaching environmental management.  GEI is currently organizing
for a first summer session (GEI'98) for  June, 1998 at the University of
Western Ontario. The program's primary goal is to break down barriers that
exist between disciplines, professions, and nations.  GEI also strives to
build a social, professional, and information network to further its
educational and leadership goals. To this end, GEI will facilitate,
encourage, and promote collaborative project, the exchange of information,
and consultancy activity among the members of its community through a
service called GEINET.  GEI will also conduct professional courses and
seminars throughout the year to interested groups and individuals. This
service will be a joint undertaking with the Consulting Office for Global
Environment (COGE).  In this capacity, they facilitate contact between top
experts in environmental fields and the organizations that require their
services.  Contact: The Global Environmental Institute (GEI),
http://www.internetserver.com/~smaes/GEI/PUBLIC/geifr.htm 

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH INSTITUTE, UBC   

The Sustainable Development Research Institute, at the University of British
Columbia is offering a number of Asia Pacific internship positions for
post-secondary graduates aged 21 to 29. Contact: Ph. (604) 822-4644;
website: www.sdri.ubc.ca.

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FROM STRATEGIS: INDUSTRY CANADA'S WEB SITE

 The Canadian High Commission in London  invites Canadian environmental
companies to participate at IWEX '97 - The International Water and Effluent
Treatment Show - which takes place 4-6 November 1997 at the National
Exhibition Centre.  DEADLINE  FOR APPLICATIONS IS 30 JUNE, 1997.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ea01156e_pr601.sgmleifr.htm

Just to let you know, there was a business opportunity in Australia related
to water reclamation. The Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA) called for
submissions for a water reclamation and management scheme at the site of the
2000 Olympics. Submissions deadline from interested companies was May 30,
1997.  Stay tuned for others that you can bid on.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/ea01158e_pr601.sgml.ifr.htm

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U.S. TROOPS TO BE USED TO GUARD RAIN FORESTS AND ENDANGERED SPECIES?

The United States may be considering ways of using its troops to protect
ecosystems from collapse and maintain national parks in countries that
request their help, according to a story in the Washington Times, June 12,
1997.  It reports that 6,200 U.S. soldiers were being drafted to carry out
eco-protection duties in Central and South America . . . "This is a
legitimate military issue," said Timothy E. Wirth, undersecretary of state
for global affairs, to the Western Hemisphere Defense Environmental
Conference earlier this month.  As the Cold War becomes a distant memory and
Yeltsin has joined the G-7, what better way for the military to be used.  It
is just a matter of time, as countries begin to see how loss of resources
and collapse of ecosystems lead to political instability, that the real
fight is to maintain a stable supply of fresh water, rich biodiversity, and
fertile soil.

*********************************************************

WATER CONSERVATION ENABLES DEVELOPMENT IN ONTARIO

A growing community greening business initiative in Ontario is beginning to
pay off.  One of the "Project Green" programs in the small Ontario community
of Maidstone involved 3,300 water conservation home visits and substantial
reductions in water use.  Maidstone was faced with the costly alternative of
building another water supply source and had its development frozen by the
province until it could solve the water shortage problem.  But as a result
of the Project Green conservation program, MOEE has lifted a freeze on the
construction of 350 homes in the area.

In the meanwhile, the Green Triangle local community initiative in Guelph
and Kitchener- Waterloo, have instituted a series of home audits and
conservation upgrades.  The home analyses are being offered: IAQ visit will
cost $40, an energy- water visit $40, and a combination visit will cost the
homeowner $70. Contact info is unchanged.   Also a launch was held for Go
Low Flow, "an exciting collaborative initiative" to promote ULF (ultra-low
flow) toilets in Metro Toronto.  An 800-toilet pilot takes place this
summer. Metro is providing a $75/toilet rebate. Green$aver is providing home
visits for each participant, including showerheads, aerators, and
environmental education.  For more information contact: Dave McLeod and
Clifford Maynes,  the Green Communities Association. 4 Knox St.,
Peterborough, Ontario K9H 2A8; ph: (705) 745-7479; fax: (705) 745-7294;
email: cmaynes@web.net; website: www.ptbo.igs.net/~gca.

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Gary T. Gallon
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
506 Victoria Ave.
Montreal, Quebec  H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369-0230
Fax (514) 369-3282
email:  cibe@web.net

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