Today, industry emboldened by the gutting of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act last week, has rejected establishing standards for mercury emissions. A group representing some of Canada's largest industries and utilities, including Ontario Power Generation told the Canada Wide Standards Working Group that all discussion of regulating mercury emissions should be postponed until 2003.
Mercury pollution is a serious problem for human health and the environment.
The Working Group was established more than a year ago by the federal and provincial ministers of environment with a mandate to recommend a national standards for mercury emissions. The Working Group is made up of representatives of industry, environmental organizations and government officials. It should be in the process of finalizing its work and preparing recommendations , but today's action by industry has undermined the entire process according to environmental organizations. Governments around the world have agreed that mercury in the air and water is toxic pollants that threatens human health and wildlife and that the use of mercury must be phased out. What makes mercury particularly threatening is that it causes irreversible neurological damage putting fetuses, children and women of child-bearing age at risk and endangering the health of many aboriginal communities that rely on fish and wildlife as a natural food source.