[getsmart-l] getsmart-l Digest, Vol 38, Issue 8
Michael White
michael.white at sympatico.ca
Mon Dec 10 12:49:17 EST 2007
Re the Dirty Don Story – this is Jackfish!
Michael White
In collaboration with Oceans and Fisheries Canada and Michel La Haye,
M.Sc.env.
_____
All about NORTHERN PIKE
Esox laclus/Esox lucius
France: brochet
Denmark: gedde
Germany: Hecht
Greece: tourna
Iceland: gedda
Italy: luccio
Japan: kawakamasu
Netherlands: snoek
Norway: gjedde
Portugal: lucio
Sweden: gadda
_____
This streamlined monster with its mouthful of sharp teeth and menacing head
can weigh up to 18 kg. It's a very long fish with dark green skin dappled
with lighter markings. Did you know that it's our freshwater version of the
barracuda?
General Information
The northern pike, highly prized by anglers, is a circumpolar species found
in lakes, ponds and slow streams in most of the hemisphere. It is sometimes
also known as jackfish, northern pickerel or great northern pickerel, but is
not to be confused with walleye (also sometimes called pickerel) which is
actually related to the perch! Northern pike can attain a weight of 18 kg,
but commercial catches usually weigh 1 to 2 kg on average.
Northern pike is a very long fish, darkish green in colour and speckled with
lighter marks. Its mouth is armed with sharp, pointy teeth. A cross section
of the body (from the front part of the fish) forms an oval that is slightly
flattened on the ventral side. They are caught using gill nets, crawls and
seine nets.
_____
Habitat
fresh water
Etymology
Middle English, from Old English pic (point), referring to the shape of its
jaw.
Esocidae family
Characteristics
A lean fish with firm white flaky flesh. This fish keeps very well and can
be cut into fillets and prepared like any lean fish.
Culinary File
Northern pike is known for its voraciousness. Be careful
you will be too
after one bite!
Commercial uses
fresh and frozen fish, blocks of chopped fish, individually frozen fillets,
tray pack fillets or steaks, blocks of fillets, whole fish with head
removed.
Nutritional values per 100 g
Calories: 84; carbohydrates: 0 g; fat: 0.5 g; protein: 19 g.
Rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium and B vitamins.
Buying
Young pike has fewer bones.
Preparing
Clean the pike; scale it.
Northern pike is a fish that has generated some culinary debate over the
years, both regarding its flavor and preparation. Some people will tell you
that you absolutely must remove the skin of the pike before cooking it;
however the skin's slightly oily, silty taste gives the fish its unique
flavor, due to the abundance of pigments and mucous found under the skin.
Personally I like a nice pike head peeking up at me from my soup, but I
admit that its pronounced flavour is not to everybody's liking. So let's
compromise: if you're cooking it in the oven, keep the skin on; if you're
cooking it in water or court-bouillon, remove the skin.
If you wish to get rid of the silty taste, you need to bleed the
freshly-caught fish. The incision should be made at throat level, below the
cheeks.
Cooking
A lean fish with firm white flaky flesh. Pike keeps very well and can be cut
into fillets and prepared like any lean fish. Young pike is best pan-fried
and served in foamy butter.
When the pike reaches its adult size, cooking in court-bouillon (for about
25 minutes) is definitely the best cooking method.
Oven cooking can be tricky: undercooked, it is acidic; overcooked, it
becomes pasty! For this cooking method, it's best to leave the skin on so
that the flesh stays moist.
The skin really only imparts its flavor to the flesh when it's boiled. Gut
and clean the pike; place the fish on a bed of sliced onions to keep it from
sticking to the roasting pan; cook in a 225° C (450° F) oven for 4 to 5
minutes per kilogram. Serve with lemon butter.
About bones
It is very difficult to fillet a large northern pike well because, unlike
most species, it possesses a second row of "Y- bones" along the back. That
is why people prefer to use pike for soup or quenelles. A good way to remove
the bones is to take them out with a pair of needle-nosed pliers when the
fish is almost cooked, since at that point the bones will be protruding from
the fillet.
Shredding or flaking pike fillets has to be done patiently and meticulously
by hand, since under every "flake" there is a thin bone.
Enjoying
Pike quenelles are a French culinary classic and are a way to get around the
problem of the fish's numerous bones. Bring 250 ml (1 cup) milk and 80 g
(1/3 cup) butter to a boil; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add 125 g
(4 oz., about 1 1/4 cup) flour and whisk together. When the mixture begins
to thicken, reduce the heat and mix with a wooden spoon until the "panade"
comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and beat in 2 or
3 eggs. Mix well and let cool. Put 250 g (9 oz.) boned pike through a food
mill. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and combine with 250 g (9 oz.) of
the cold panade, mixing well. Blend in 2 eggs to make a smooth mixture (for
a lighter result you can separate the eggs, and beat the whites). Add 2 to 3
tbsp. crème fraîche or whipping cream. Keep cold. Just before serving, mold
the quenelles one at a time with damp palms or two spoons; drop them into
simmering salted water. Be sure to use a large amount of water to prevent
them from sticking together. Once they rise to the surface, remove them with
a skimmer or slotted spoon. Serve in court-bouillon, a cream sauce with
crayfish butter, etc.
As quenelles
-----Original Message-----
From: getsmart-l-bounces at list.web.net
[mailto:getsmart-l-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of
getsmart-l-request at list.web.net
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 12:00 PM
To: getsmart-l at list.web.net
Subject: getsmart-l Digest, Vol 38, Issue 8
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Today's Topics:
1. some communities are arguing that traffic safety and concern
for the environment should trump convenience (John O'Gorman)
2. Province-wide distribution of 25, 000 energy efficiency kits
to Ontario First Nations households nears completion (Don Huff)
3. GreenTrans update (Janet May)
4. Social Entrepreneurs: Seven Stories - Schwab social
entrepreneur award (John O'Gorman)
5. The dirty Don - but it is ours to clean up!! (John O'Gorman)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:08:28 -0500
From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>
Subject: [getsmart-l] some communities are arguing that traffic safety
and concern for the environment should trump convenience
To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>
Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP14F3A7C5FA242FFA63FEECCF6B0 at CEZ.ICE>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071210.wdrive10/BNStory
/robColumnsBlogs/
Communities weigh putting brakes on drive-thrus
Options range from banning new outlets to tightening zoning bylaws to
restricting hours of operation
STEVE LAMBERT
The Canadian Press/Globe and Mail
December 10, 2007 at 5:23 AM EST
It might be tempting to pull up to the drive-thru window to fill up on food
and coffee on frosty winter mornings, but some Canadian communities are
arguing that traffic safety and concern for the environment should trump
convenience.
At some popular fast-food restaurants across the country, lineups are so
long they stretch out of parking lots and spill onto public streets, and
politicians are eyeing the emissions spewed by all the idling cars, trucks
and sport utility vehicles.
In London, Ont., civic leaders are considering restrictions on existing
drive-thrus to try to clear the air. A citizens' advisory committee is also
recommending a moratorium on new drive-thrus, although the mayor is trying
to strike a balance.
"I don't support a ban or a moratorium on drive-thrus ... but if there are
ways in which we can improve the air quality in ways that I can't imagine at
this point, I'm really open to looking at that and seeing if we can
strengthen our bylaws," Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said.
London council is gathering public input on a range of options, from banning
new outlets to tightening zoning bylaws to make more areas of the city
drive-thru-free. City staff have floated the idea of restricting the hours
of operation for drive-thrus, and a decision is expected in the new year.
In Hamilton, where Mayor Fred Eisenberger describes himself as "reasonably
anti-drive-thru," council is studying an environmental group's call for a
moratorium on new drive-thrus.
In Kings County, N.S., one politician has argued that only people with
decreased mobility should be entitled to get their food while in their
vehicle.
"I think a pregnant mom or a disabled person or a person who couldn't get
out of their vehicle or an older person, they could use the drive-thru,"
said Wayne Atwater. "But these people that are able-bodied men and women, I
certainly don't see any reason why they can't get out of their vehicle."
Mr. Atwater pushed for a moratorium on new drive-thrus last winter, citing
concerns about carbon monoxide and traffic problems, but he couldn't
persuade his council colleagues.
Students at the University of Alberta monitored a popular Tim Hortons outlet
in Edmonton last year for 54 hours and counted 3,756 vehicles idling for an
average of more than five minutes each. The longest idle was more than 12
minutes.
Tim Hortons's drive-thrus tend to generate the most attention because of
their popularity. In Winnipeg, cars spill out of Tim's lots onto such major
thoroughfares as Portage Avenue and St. Mary's Road as drivers queue up for
a java jolt.
"They're victims of their own success," said Winnipeg Councillor Mike
O'Shaughnessy. "You can see 15, 16 cars in line at 3 in the afternoon or 7
in the evening."
Winnipeg has rejected two proposals for Tim Hortons this year, one because
it would have interfered with a driveway of an adjacent business. the other
because nearby residents expressed concerns about traffic.
But Mr. O'Shaughnessy said those were individual cases and Winnipeg has no
plans to crack down on drive-thrus.
Tim Hortons says it has taken steps to reduce drive-thru lineups, such as
allowing motorists to use credit cards that don't require signatures. Many
drive-thru work stations now have their own coffee maker and other
equipment, so attendants don't have to walk to another part of the shop to
fill an order.
The company also says it meets or exceeds space requirements in city bylaws.
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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 08:49:44 -0500
From: Don Huff <huffd at huffstrategy.com>
Subject: [getsmart-l] Province-wide distribution of 25, 000 energy
efficiency kits to Ontario First Nations households nears completion
To: Beatrice Olivastri <Beatrice at foecanada.org>, Dana.Silk at ottawa.ca,
Steve Koch <contact at naimacanada.ca>, 'Ken Mentzer'
<kmentzer at naima.org>, Karan Aquino <karan.aquino at sympatico.ca>,
cco at web.net
Message-ID: <475D43F8.80704 at huffstrategy.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Emacs!
*Province-wide distribution of 25,000
energy efficiency kits to Ontario First Nations households nears
completion
**/Six Nations Territory Energy Efficiency Kit distribution guaranteed
by involvement of Gil & Essie Martin's Walk with Me for Diabetes program
/*(Oshweken, Ontario, December 10, 2007) This summer and fall an army
of students and volunteers fanned out across Ontario First Nations
communities to deliver Mana-cha-toon Wash-ti-ni-gun or Conserve the
Light (CTL) energy efficiency kits.
The Conserve the Light project has delivered energy conservation kits to
almost all of the 25,000 on-reserve homes in over 100 communities across
Ontario. The final few communities such as Six Nations will be completed
by year end. Each kit includes easy-to-install compact florescent light
(CFL) bulbs, faucet aerators, pipe wraps, fridge and freezer
thermometers, a low flow shower head, an outdoor timer for Christmas
lights and other devices that will result in immediate reductions in
energy use. A website with directions on how to use the kit is also
available www.conservethelight.ca <http://www.conservethelight.ca/>.
Electricity conservation is critical for many remote communities with
power often provided by diesel generators that require fuel delivered by
aircraft or winter roads, both expensive procedures.
The Conserve the Light concept was developed to reduce electricity
consumption in First Nation communities. The program is being run by
Charles Fox Consulting of Thunder Bay, with funding from the Ontario
Power Authority. CTL is part of the Provincial Energy Efficiency &
Conservation Measures for Aboriginal Communities (EEMAC) initiative
An excellent example of how the kits are being distributed can be found
on the Six Nations territory, where a team from Gil & Essie Martin's
Walk with Me for Diabetes organization is quarterbacking the kit
delivery. During a site visit, last weekend Mr Fox noted, "Gil Martin's
annual effort to raise money to increase awareness of Diabetes is well
respected in this community. The same focus that he, Essie and his team
bring to fighting diabetes is now extended to getting these energy
saving kits into peoples hands."
Speaking from the Community Minded Spirit Action Building, near Oshweken
(south of Hamilton/near Caledonia), Mr Martin stated, "Whether educating
people about Diabetes or energy conservation it is important that
everyone in the community is involved. Here, every household will have a
kit delivered; they can install it and make an immediate cut to their
electricity bill."
Mr Martin joked, "Any money people save on their electricity bill, they
can donate to the Walk With Me program to fight Diabetes in our community."
Mr. Fox, whose office is located on the Fort William First Nation (near
Thunder Bay), observed, "Gil, Essie and their volunteer team are already
ahead of their delivery schedule. Over the next few weeks, every Six
Nations household will receive one of a total of 2,969 kits being
shipped there. In fact, when the group has completed their task, they
will have delivered more kits than any other distribution team in the
Province."
Mr Fox stated, "Kits have been delivered from as far north as the coast
of James Bay, and south to locations on the coast of Lake Erie and Lake
Ontario. We have used planes from native owned Wasaya Airlines in the
far north, as well as trucks, trains, cars, boats, and now the
volunteers from Gil and Essie Martin's Walk with Me for Diabetes team."
Fox concluded, "The kits are resulting in energy savings, but more
importantly, there is now a much higher level of activity and interest
in energy conservation in First Nations communities. We need to
revitalize our conservation culture, a culture that is based on our
traditional teachings."
*-30-
_For more about the Conserve the Light program, to arrange interviews or
receive digital images of the Energy Efficiency kits, the Six Nations
team, or Charles Fox, contact:
_/Don Huff/, Environmental Communication Options, 416-972-7404,
huffd(at)huffstrategy.com
_For information on the Six Nation distribution contact:
_/Gil Martin/, Walk With Me for Diabetes, (519) 445-4094 & Cam Staats at
(519) 732-5705
/Charles Fox/, Charles Fox Consulting Inc., (807) 622-8008*
/This initiative is part of the Provincial *Energy Efficiency &
Conservation Measures for Aboriginal Communities *(EEMAC) program
launched in Thunder Bay at the Mana-cha-toon Wash-ti-ni-gun (Conserve
the Light) Gathering last May. The Gathering was attended by over 130
representatives from 65 First Nation communities; EEMAC is funded by the
Ontario Power Authority (OPA). Visit www.conservethelight.ca
<http://www.conservethelight.ca/>.
The* Ontario Power Authority *is working directly with First Nation
communities on a range of initiatives, including long-term systems
planning, and is committed to ensuring that First Nation communities
have access to the tools to participate in Ontario's growing culture of
conservation, in a manner that complements First Nations values and
heritages.
In addition to the distribution of the Energy Conservation Kits, five
Ontario First Nation communities are undertaking community energy
retrofits and benchmarking projects: Anishinaabeg of Naongashiing and
Stanjikoming (both near Fort Frances), Slate Falls (near Sioux Lookout),
and Sheshegwaning and Sheguiandah (both on Manitoulin Island).
/ Emacs!
*/Photo (clockwise from bottom left):
Essie Martin, Gil Martin, Cam Statt
/*
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Message: 3
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:55:09 -0500
From: "Janet May" <janet at smartgrowth.on.ca>
Subject: [getsmart-l] GreenTrans update
To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>
Message-ID: <200712101453.lBAEr1s1097065 at smtp0.beanfield.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
_____
From: Lisa Seiler [mailto:lseiler at tap.net]
Sent: December 9, 2007 4:57 PM
Subject: GreenTrans update
METROLINX
The GTTA has launched an interactive website, http://www.metrolinx.com
<http://www.metrolinx.com/> , along with its new name, Metrolinx. The
website will include policy papers and online discussions to assist the
agency in the public consultation process. Its regional transportation plan
is due out in spring 2008.
ONTARIO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER'S REPORT
In a report released last week, Gordon Miller recommended "avert[ing] any
future plans for new highways and/or highway expansion projects" in southern
Ontario. However, he suggested that all highways currently proposed should
be built because they're too far along in the process, including the Niagara
to GTA corridor and the GTA West corridor from Guelph to the 400, even
though those two projects have no contract obligations. He warns that a
much more compact urban form is necessary for alternative modes of
transportation to succeed outside of Toronto. For Toronto Star story, visit
http://www.thestar.com/article/282622. The transportation section of the
report itself is 8 pages of worthwhile reading and can be found at
http://www.eco.on.ca/english/newsrel/2007/Annual_report-0607-FINAL-EN.pdf.
SIXTH LINE UNDERPASS
The passageway under the QEW is scheduled to reopen some time in the next
few weeks. We are keeping tabs on this, and will let you know details when
available. The passageway is in the final stages of completion.
OAKVILLE TRANSIT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Meeting Wednesday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Oakville Town Hall, Trafalgar
Room. On the agenda is the consultant's report regarding the need for a new
transit facility in Oakville. The Transit Services Review report will not
come out until early in 2008.
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Message: 4
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:52:58 -0500
From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>
Subject: [getsmart-l] Social Entrepreneurs: Seven Stories - Schwab
social entrepreneur award
To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>
Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP029786C6B62FA3A0322179CF6B0 at CEZ.ICE>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALHOW04/TPSt
ory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: About the Schwab Foundation award
December 4, 2007 Globe and Mail
For the first time, the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year
Award is being given in Canada.
In all, 83 applications for the award were made through the foundation's
website (http://www.schwabfound.org).
The list was narrowed to 15 contenders using criteria defined by the
foundation. Six finalists were then selected by the foundation and the
Boston Consulting Group, an organizer of today's Social Entrepreneurship
Summit in Toronto (for which The Globe and Mail is a media sponsor).
The winner, chosen by a six-member jury of Canadian leaders in the sector,
will be announced tonight at the conference and will become part of the
Schwab Foundation's global network of outstanding social entrepreneurs.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALCAPE04/TPS
tory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: GEOFFREY CAPE: FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF EVERGREEN
'I wanted to make cities more liveable
GREG MCMILLAN Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
Geoff Cape was born and raised in Toronto, where generations of his family
worked in the construction industry.
But it was the time spent on a rural family property north of Belleville,
Ont., that opened his eyes and eventually led to
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALBERMAN04/T
PStory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: TZEPORAH BERMAN: CO-FOUNDER OF FORESTETHICS
If a tree falls in the forest, she knows
CATHRYN ATKINSON Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
ForestEthics sprang from the Clayoquot Sound anti-logging protests on
Vancouver Island in the 1990s, which she took part in. With staff in Canada,
the United States and Chile, the organization aims to protect endangered
forests by determining which are endangered and approaching companies that
buy the products made from logged trees in those forests. ForestEthics asks
the companies to stop purchasing those products; if the firms refuse, they
are met with protests on websites and in advertisements.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALLABBE04/TP
Story/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: MICHEL LABB?: CO-FOUNDER OF OPTIONS FOR
HOMES
Affordable roofs over low-income heads
LAURA RAMSAY Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
An urban planner by training, the 55-year-old is co-founder of Options for
Homes, which "delivers home ownership in a non-profit model" to low-income
families and individuals. So far the company, founded in 1992, has developed
and built six condominium communities in the Toronto area as well as in
Waterloo and Collingwood, Ont.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALMAIN04/TPS
tory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: CARING ENTERPRISES
The double bottom line: It's the new world of social entrepreneurship, where
organizations work to both benefit society and run viable businesses
RICHARD BLACKWELL December 4, 2007 Globe and Mail
One is Social Capital Partners (SCP), a Toronto foundation run by former
telecommunications executive Bill Young. It invests in for-profit companies
that hire people on social assistance, particularly at-risk youth. SCP now
has a wide-ranging portfolio, including a property management firm in
Vancouver, a renovation business in Winnipeg, and a bicycle courier service
in Toronto. Over all they employ several hundred people.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALJULIEN04/T
PStory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: GILLES JULIEN: SOCIAL PEDIATRICIAN
Doctor takes his practice to the people
EVA SALINAS Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
"One day the neighbour would say 'my child has fever' and that I need to
examine [him]. But the issue is not the fever. The issue is how this child
is living, why he's getting fever every week," the doctor says. "I
discovered a new way of doing pediatrics - being at home with people,
becoming friends with them, sharing the misery in which they lived."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALJONES04/TP
Story/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: TIM JONES: PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ARTSCAPE
Building artist-friendly neighbourhoods
GREG MCMILLAN Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
More plainly put, Artscape seeks to work on projects in Canada and abroad
that aim to unlock the creative potential of people and places.
"I see Artscape becoming an increasingly global organization," he says of
the not-for-profit enterprise, formed in 1986, that works with developers to
create affordable living and working spaces for artists so cultural
districts can grow and thrive.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071204.SRSOCIALGILL04/TPS
tory/?query=social+entrepreneurs
Report on Social Entrepreneurs: IAN GILL: PRESIDENT OF ECOTRUST CANADA
Supporting local sustainable ventures
CATHRYN ATKINSON Special to The Globe and Mail December 4, 2007
"It was either jobs or the environment," he recalls about attitudes about
serving environmental causes. "I didn't really hear anyone say 'jobs AND the
environment.' Only Ecotrust did that."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071205.RAWARD05/TPStory/?
query=social+entrepreneurs
Evergreen founder wins Schwab social entrepreneur award
December 5, 2007 Globe and Mail
Geoff Cape, founding executive director of the environmental organization
Evergreen, is a pioneer in bringing a bit of nature to the urban landscape.
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Message: 5
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 11:11:13 -0500
From: "John O'Gorman" <jcogorman at sympatico.ca>
Subject: [getsmart-l] The dirty Don - but it is ours to clean up!!
To: <getsmart-l at list.web.net>
Message-ID: <BAYC1-PASMTP09147CB035A25C8B64C478CF6B0 at CEZ.ICE>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
http://www.thestar.com/article/283454
ENVIRONMENT
TheStar.com | Environment |
The dirty Don
Ontario's worst river trails garbage, sludge and toxins
Cars and trucks roaring overhead drown out the sound of water lapping up
against the concrete banks at the mouth of the Don River.
Environment Canada's water quality index puts a numeric value to the
`embarrassment' that is the river: 34.8 out of 100
Peter Gorrie
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER Toronto Star Dec 07, 2007 04:30 AM
Encased in concrete walls for much of its length, poisoned by runoff from
sewers and streets, the turbid Don is Ontario's dirtiest river, and one of
the worst in Canada.
The river, which flows a mere 38 kilometres from its nearly pristine source
on the Oak Ridges Moraine to its garbage-choked, oil-slicked mouth on Lake
Ontario, scored a lowly 34.8, on a scale of zero to 100, in an Environment
Canada calculation of water quality, released yesterday.
The main problem is a glut of phosphorous, chlorine and ammonia, mainly from
human and animal sewage, fertilizer and road salt.
The Humber, Credit, and others in the region fared better in the ranking of
395 rivers across the country, based on averages of seven contaminants from
2003 to 2005.
The absolute worst, anywhere, are Quebec's Yamaska and Bayonne rivers,
despoiled by pollution from pulp mills and languishing at around 27 points.
The figures are contained in the third annual Canadian Environmental
Sustainability Index, which also shows southern Ontario has some of Canada's
worst air quality. Environment Canada compiles the index from water sampling
done by other government agencies.
The main question is whether the Don is improving.
"The Don is symbolic of a lot of the problems with environmental policy in
Ontario," said Mark Mattsen, president of Lake Ontario Waterkeepers. "The
river is hardly a river at all. It's an embarrassment."
The city has a $1 billion, 25-year plan to clean up the big pollution
sources ? sewers that flush sewage, chemicals and fertilizer into the river,
particularly during heavy rains. The torrents of stormwater also rip away
branches, stones, gravel and other fish habitat.
It's also promoting smaller measures to keep contaminants out of the water,
including changes that individuals can make, such as disconnecting
downspouts from the sewers and replacing pavement with absorbent surfaces.
And the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is leading the restoration
of wetlands and other natural areas, and a project to release the Don's
mouth from its cement straitjacket.
The effort is far too slow, Mattsen said. "It's being put off to another
generation." The restoration is "window dressing."
City officials and Adele Freeman, the authority's river expert, would also
like the work speeded up.
Even so, Freeman said: "The city is doing a tremendous amount of work. There
are a lot of reasons for hope. With water quality, "we have a way to go. But
all in all, it's getting better."
The Don does support 14 species of fish, but some are found only in its
cleaner northern reaches, and those in the lower river are mainly
pollution-tolerant types such as suckers and jackfish.
But coho salmon ? planted in the lake to encourage sport fishing ? have made
their way upstream as far as Markham, Freeman said. They're not spawning in
the river yet, but it's a start.
The Humber scored 60.2 on Environment Canada's index, much better than the
Don even though it receives a similar amount of contamination. But it's
three times as big, with far more forest, marsh and other natural areas
remaining in its watershed. That gives it more chance to cleanse itself.
More than 80 per cent of the Don's drainage area is urbanized, compared with
just 26 per cent for the Humber, Freeman said.
The key to major improvement in the Don is to stop the flow from sewers, and
a big part of that is separating the storm and sanitary systems, said Lou Di
Gironimo, general manager of Toronto Water. Now, in older parts of the city,
heavy rains cause human sewage to overflow into storm pipes. Storm flows
must also be managed so the water is contained until it's treated.
The effort involves three major projects, which are to be assessed by
consultants over the next two years and must undergo lengthy environmental
assessments.
It would help if the environmental reviews were faster, Di Gironimo said.
"I'd like to move quicker, but I have to follow the legal process."
The city will need money from the province and Ottawa, he said. "If they
don't contribute it would be a significant issue."
But the sheer size of the projects means they'll take time, he said. At
best, the 25 years could be whittled to 15 or 20.
AIR QUALITY
The Sustainability Index also assesses air quality. It reports:
Across Canada, ozone exposure ? from gasoline and other fossil fuels ?
increased 12 per cent from 1990 to 2005. Canadian industries have increased
their energy efficiency and produce fewer greenhouse gases per unit of
production. But economic growth meant both still went up in total.
>From 1994 to 2006, the proportion of households using compact fluorescent
lights tripled to 60 per cent. The proportion with programmable thermostats
doubled to 40 per cent, but 16 per cent of those don't program them.
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