GOVERNMENT COMMITMENTS FOR PROTECTED AREAS IN SASKATCHEWAN - SINCE 1991

1991

In January 1991, Leader of the Opposition, Roy Romanow wrote personally to World Wildlife Fund (WWF): "Canada is blessed with a rich diversity of natural lands and waters, and wildlife habitat. It is the responsibility of everyone in public life, and of every Canadian, to protect for future generations these beautiful and important "endangered spaces"."

Ed Tchorzewski, Deputy Leader of the NDP and Opposition Environment Critic in 1991, wrote WWF saying: "We therefore support the World Wildlife Fund's Endangered Spaces Campaign, and the Canadian Wilderness Charter." Enclosed were the signatures of 40 New Democratic Party MLA's and candidates in support of the Endangered Spaces Campaign.

Carol Carson, Minister of Environment and Public Safety sat on the Saskatchewan Round Table on Environment and Economy which said in 1991 we should "Complete and maintain a comprehensive system of protected areas to maintain the biological diversity of Saskatchewan."

1992

Darrel Cunningham, Minister of Natural Resources, signed the Canada Forest Accord in 1992, which confirmed support for the national forest strategy "Sustainable Forests: A Canadian Commitment" and provides that: "...all members of the forest community will work towards completing, by the year 2000, a network of protected areas representative of Canada's forests...".

Two ministers (Bernie Wiens and Eldon Lautermilch) signed the Tri-Council (Wildlife, Parks and Environment Ministers) Statement of Commitment To Complete Canada's Networks of Protected Areas in November 1992, to "make every effort to: complete Canada's networks of protected areas representative of Canada's land based natural regions by the year 2000...".

1994

In April, 1994, MLA Lorne Scott tabled a Private Member's Motion in support of the Endangered Spaces Campaign which was debated in the Legislature. In response to that event, Premier Romanow wrote personally: "You are, of course, correct in your statement that I personally support and endorse the Campaign as I realize the importance of protecting our natural heritage. I also support the Motion that was made in the Legislature on April 12..."

In 1994, Berny Wiens, Minister of Environment and Resource Management released "Saskatchewan's Environmental Agenda: Securing a Sustainable Future". In it he promised to develop a protected areas strategy that "will include the preservation of biodiversity by protecting both representative and unique samples of Saskatchewan's landscape diversity."

Doug Anguish, Minister of Energy and Mines signed the Whitehorse Mining Initiative in 1994 which undertook on behalf of the mines ministers and industry in Canada "...to create and set aside from industrial development by the year 2000 those protected areas required to achieve representation of Canada's land-based natural regions."

In December, 1994, Premier Roy Romanow wrote in a letter to WWF: "I certainly agree that there is much yet to be done and assure you that our government is committed to working as strenuously as possible with the World Wildlife Fund and others towards meeting our goal of securing a representative network of protected areas by the year 2000."

1995

1995 saw the release of the Saskatchewan Integrated Forest Resource Management Plan, the result of an extensive public involvement process. In it Minister Berny Wiens undertook that "...we must set aside representative areas of each major forest type, in which natural processes and disturbances continue but human impacts are minimized."

Saskatchewan's 1995 State of the Environment Report, issued by Minister Berny Wiens, said "The province has made a commitment to complete a comprehensive system of protected areas to maintain biological diversity, ensuring that at least one protected area from each of the province's ecoregions is represented."

April 1995 also saw MLA Lorne Scott introduce a Motion in the Legislature that read as follows: "That this Assembly support the work of the Minister of the Environment and Resource Management, his department, and conservation organizations, in their efforts to achieve the goals of the World Wildlife Fund's action plan for endangered spaces; and go on record during National Wildlife Week as being in favour of protecting our province's natural heritage, specifically efforts to complete a representative areas network across the 11 ecoregions of Saskatchewan as part of our commitment to maintain the province's native biological diversity." At the end of a 75 minute debate, the Motion received all party support.

Premier Roy Romanow, in response to this Legislature Motion, said: "...our government is committed to maintain the province's native biological diversity and will work to protect our natural heritage, specifically through completing a representative areas network across Saskatchewan's 11 ecoregions. I was pleased that the motion of support for the Endangered Spaces Campaign received unanimous support."

1996

In 1996, Minister Lorne Scott signed the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy, which provides that governments will: "Make every effort to complete Canada's networks of protected areas representative of land-based natural regions by the year 2000 and accelerate protection of areas that are representative of marine natural regions."

Saskatchewan's Representative Areas Network Draft Action Plan was released in December, 1996 by Hon. Lorne Scott. It committed to the goal: "To conserve Saskatchewan's native biological diversity and natural resources by protecting and managing a system of areas which represent the full range of our native ecological systems by the year 2000. Included within this is the maintenance of the three basic levels of diversity: genetic, species and ecosystem."

1997

In the 1997 Saskatchewan State of the Environment Report, Minister Lorne Scott outlines a further commitment to the Representative Areas Network: "This network will consist of a series of lands selected to represent the natural ecological and biological diversity of the province, which will be managed to protect that diversity......The action plan has identified key actions to be taken to achieve the goal of representing each of the province's ecoregions by the year 2000."

In July, 1997, Hon. Lorne Scott released "Saskatchewan's Provincial Parks Directions for the 21st Century" says: "Natural areas and features will be added to the park system as part of an initiative to ensure that land representative of the province's principle ecological types is identified and protected."

In August 1997 Minister Scott's "Final Action Plan for Saskatchewan's Representative Areas Network" sets a goal: "to conserve Saskatchewan's native biological diversity and natural resources by protecting and managing a system of areas which represent the full range of our native ecological systems by the year 2000."

1998

In February, 1998, the "Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan" was released by a committee composed of government (including SERM), academia, environmental groups and agricultural interests. Goal 3, "To maintain Saskatchewan's native prairie biological diversity" includes as Objective 2, "Complete the Representative Areas Network in the prairie ecoregions." CPAWS Saskatchewan is a member of the current Prairie Conservation Action Plan

In February, 1998, at the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference in Saskatoon, Premier Roy Romanow announced 976,230 hectares (2,397,277 acres) of land designated to the Representative Areas Network. Premier Romanow said, "By the year 2000, this network of unspoiled areas, representing all the diverse landforms and aquatic systems found in Saskatchewan will ensure these water, land and wildlife resources are available for our children's children and on into the future."

In May, 1998, SERM Minister Lorne Scott, along with the Ministers of every other department responsible for forests in Canada, and the representatives of 30 stakeholder and public interest groups, signed Canada's Forest Accord, "Sustainable Forests A Canadian Commitment", an update of the 1992 national forest strategy. In this document, these diverse groups committed to "...working toward completing, by the year 2000, a network of protected areas representative of Canada's forest ecosystem classification categories.."

1999

In February, 1999, Premier Roy Romanow addressed the Annual General Meeting of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF), and announced the addition of 600,000 acres (250,000 hectares) of new protected areas, including Seager Wheeler Lake and Wapawekka Hills. In the accompanying Press Release, Romanow said: "Representative Areas are vital in Saskatchewan's efforts to maintain the unique diversity of this province. We will continue to work closely with Saskatchewan people to select, designate and manage these areas to ensure they are available for our children's children and on into the future."

In April, 1999, Hon. Lorne Scott tabled in the Legislature "Saskatchewan's State of the Environment Report for 1999, The Boreal Shield Ecozone: A Land of Lakes and Forests". This report states on page 67: " The government of Saskatchewan, through SERM, is committed to the establishment of a system of ecologically important land areas across the province by the year 2000, through a system called the RAN."

During the September 1999 Provincial Election Campaign, the New Democratic Party responded to a questionnaire on environmental issues with the following response on their commitment to the goal of completing a network of protected areas: "The New Democratic Government of Saskatchewan is committed to establishing a comprehensive system of ecologically important lands and waters across the province by the year 2000."

2000

In June, 2000, SERM released the report "Saskatchewan's Representative Areas Network 2000". This report states "Saskatchewan continues to work towards completing its Representative Areas Network. Living up to provincial and national commitments to contribute to the preservation of ecological diversity remains a high priority for the Government.... Potential sites that would capture under-represented features necessary to complete a comprehensive Network have been identified, and are now being brought forward for public discussion and input prior to finalization and designation."

In August, 2000, Hon. Buckley Belanger announced that six sites in the Amisk-Atik Land Use Planning area (totalling over 100,000 ha), plus Selenite Point on Smoothstone Lake (3,810 ha) had been designated under the RAN program,

In the fall of 2000, the Saskatchewan Biodiversity Interagency Steering Committee, representing 13 departments, agencies and crown corporations, released "Conserving Saskatchewan's Natural Environment: Framework for a Saskatchewan Biodiversity Action Plan" This discussion paper set as Goal 1, Objective 1: "Complete a network of representative areas. Areas for action could include: ensuring that representative areas are designated in each of the province's eleven ecoregions; and ensuring that representative areas adequately capture a range of biodiversity and landscapes within each of the ecoregions." Objective 2 focussed on the need to develop and implement management plans for protected areas.

2001

On January 9, 2001, Lorne Calvert, now Premier of Saskatchewan, issued an environmental policy platform as part of his bid for leadership of the New Democratic Party. In part, this policy promised to: "...expand the province's network of protected areas.", and to "...enact stronger regulations to protect biodiversity in Saskatchewan's northern forest."

In April, 2001, Hon. Buckley Belanger tabled in the Legislature "Saskatchewan's State of the Environment Report 2001: The Taiga Shield Ecozone: Land of the Caribou". In this the sixth State of the Environment Report, it states: "Government commitment to live up to the challenge of establishing a RAN for the people of Saskatchewan remains strong. Public discussions for proposed representative areas will proceed throughout the central and northen part of the province to bring together a mix of perspectives on the land to identify the full range of values that may need long-term protection."

In May, 2001, Hon. Buckley Belanger, along with representatives of northern Dene communities, announced the creation of three large new RAN sites in Saskatchewan's far north, as part of the Athabasca Region Land Use Plan.. The three sites total about 1.25 million ha, and are the first sites in our two most northerly ecoregions.

2002

In March, 2002, Hon. Buckley Belanger along with Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food, and representatives of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation announced that over 320,000 ha in the Provincial Community Pasture System were recognized as contributing to the goals of the Representative Areas Network.

In October, 2002, Saskatchewan Environment released "Caring for Saskatchewan's Natural Environments: A Proposed Biodiversity Action Plan". Building on the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy (1995) and the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (1992). Goal One, Objective 2, states: "Protected Areas: Complete a system of protected areas that are representative of the province's terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and ensure that they are managed to conserve biodiversity in the context of their designation mandate."

On November 28, 2002, Hon. Buckley Belanger announced the designation of two new additions to the Representative Areas Network, Caribou Flats Ecological Reserve, and Budd Lake Ecological Reserve, both in the Doré/ Smoothstone Lakes area north west of Saskatoon. The Province had been promising to designate lands in this area since 1994.

2003

On April 1, 2003, Hon. Buckley Belanger tabled in the Legislature "Saskatchewan's 2003 State of the Environment Report A Provincial Perspective". The report lists the Representative Areas Network among the "Key management activities and programs" protecting biodiversity, and indicates that the purpose of the RAN program is "to set aside a system of protected or specially managed areas that are representative of all major ecological areas in the province that will be managed to protect habitat and maintain ecological integrity."

On May 15, 2003, an update to the Saskatchewan Environment internet web site (http://www.se.gov.sk.ca/ecosystem/sran/) stated: "The goal of the RAN is ... continuing to preserve ecologically important land and aquatic areas across the province. Our approach is to represent the province's biological diversity found within Saskatchewan's 11 ecoregions. Ideally, each ecoregion should have at least one very large (>100,000 ha) and several smaller representative areas in order to ensure complete ecosystems are preserved, along with unique features."

On October 28, 2003, Premier Lorne Calvert responded to questions about the NDP election campaign platform by stating: "The New Democratic Party remains committed to the Representative Areas program.", and also indicated: "Our New Democratic government is committed to working with organizations, such as yourselves, which have a special interest in conserving our natural resources."

2004

On January 23, 2004, Hon. David Forbes, Minister of the Environment said in a letter to CPAWS : "Saskatchewan is committed to completing a system of representative lands and waters, known as the Representative Areas Network."