The Ottawa Expedition, February 7th & 8th, 2005

March, 2005

 Following the successful public meeting in Halifax, October 5th, 2004, Sable Island friends continued working with the Ecology Action Centre and organized a visit to Ottawa. In order to increase awareness about Sable Island and the critical role of the Station, the group requested meetings with politicians, government officials and representatives of NGOs, and also scheduled an evening event open to the public.

Representing Sable Island in Ottawa on February 7thand 8th were Zoe Lucas (Sable Island Green Horse Society), Bill Freedman (Chair, Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax), and Keith Betteridge (University Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph, Ontario). The visit to Ottawa provided an opportunity to thank Ministers Geoff Regan and Stéphane Dion for making a commitment to a year-round human presence on Sable Island, as announced in a news release issued on January 31st.

On the 7th, Zoe, Bill and Keith met with Julie Gelfand (President, Nature Canada), and then with Alan Tonks (MP, York South – Weston, Ontario) Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

The public presentation was held at the Canadian Museum of Nature on the evening of the 7th. This was co-sponsored by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Nature Canada, and the Ottawa Field Naturalists Club, and representatives of each organization assisted with organizing and publicizing. The event began at 7:00 pm with a welcome by Cynthia Iburg (Canadian Museum of Nature) and an introduction by Julie Gelfand. Zoe gave a 75-minute illustrated talk about Sable Island and the Station, and the presentation was followed by a short performance - a song about Sable Island, composed and sung by Roxanne Potvin, a Canadian blues and jazz singer-guitarist, based in Ottawa. Roughly 150 people attended the event, and most stayed for conversation and refreshments in the Mezzanine. Georgiana Butler and Nigel Troop organized a wonderful selection of Mrs. Butler’s homemade cookies, and juice, cider, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate – all served in non-disposable cups and glasses. John Duncan (MP, Vancouver Island North, British Columbia) attended the talk and stopped afterwards for a brief discussion about Sable Island.

On the morning of the 8th, Zoe, Bill and Keith provided two briefings on Parliament Hill. Use of a meeting room in the Wellington Building was sponsored by Minister Geoff Regan. During each of the two briefings, Zoe gave a short illustrated presentation describing the island’s natural and cultural values, and the critical role of the Station, and this was followed by a 30-minute discussion. MPs and research assistants attended, including Mark Eyking (MP, Sydney-Victoria, Nova Scotia), Peter Stoffer (MP, Sackville-Musquodoboit Valley-Eastern Shore, Nova Scotia), and Christian Simard (MP, Beaufort – Limoilou, Quebec). Mr. Simard, having had some experience with conservation issues on the Magdelan Islands, was particularly interested in the Sable Island situation.

Although a meeting with Samy Watson, Deputy Minister, Environment Canada, had been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Watson was unable to attend. Instead, Zoe, Bill and Keith spoke with Marc Denis Everell (Assistant Deputy Minister, Meteorological Service of Canada), and Karen Brown (Assistant Deputy Minister, Conservation).

The trip to Ottawa was most useful in initiating dialogue, generating interest, and establishing some alliances for Sable Island. Hopefully the Ottawa events also communicated, to senior managers in government, the extent of public and professional interest and concern. However, efforts to increase public and political awareness must continue, and the Sable Island Green Horse Society and the Ecology Action Centre will persist with efforts to increase the island’s profile in Ottawa as well as in the region.

The Sable Island Green Horse Society and the Ecology Action Centre wish to thank all the people in Ottawa who assisted with time and supplies, and advice and encouragement, including Georgiana Butler, Paul Catling and Brenda Kostiuk, Roxanne Potvin, Nigel Troop; Frenja Brodo (Ottawa Field Naturalists Club); Julie Gelfand, Domenic Salotti and Sarah Wren (Nature Canada); and Diane Mongrain, Cynthia Iburg and Marc Diotte (Canadian Museum of Nature). Victoria Sheppard, Marty Leonard and Andy Horn, in Halifax, contributed to the success of the Ottawa visit. We also thank Geoff Regan’s office for help with organizing the Ottawa meetings, and the EJLB Foundation for financial assistance.