Toxics Watch Society of Alberta

On May 23, 2001, Canada was the first country to sign and ratify the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a global agreement that will dramatically reduce or eliminate emissions of 12 POPs that are known to result in serious harm to the environment and human health. By May 17, 2006, Canada is required to submit a National Implementation Plan (NIP) describing how it will implement its obligations under the Convention.

Environment Canada has led development of Canada's Draft National Implementation Plan on behalf of the federal government. Comments and advice received from written comments and three regional workshops held in Winter 2004 were considered in this process.

This Draft NIP includes:

• Part I: Canada's National Implementation Plan (NIP) under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants;
• Part II: Canada's National Action Plan on Unintentionally Produced Persistent Organic Pollutants (NAP); and
• Part III: A copy of the Convention, provided for ease of reference.

Canada proposes to provide our draft NIP as an information piece at the Stockholm Convention's first Conference of Parties (COP-1) in Uruguay May 2-6, 2005. The draft NIP that is forwarded to COP-1 will include a report on consultations, including those held in 2004 and 2005. Following COP-1, Canada will consider all advice received, and will then complete our NIP and submit it to the COP before May 17, 2006. Before submitting the final NIP to the Conference of the Parties in 2006, final consultations will be held.

We ask that you submit your comments no later than March 18, 2005. Comments may be submitted in writing, via email, or fax, to the attention of:

Greg Filyk
Manager, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Environment Canada, Transboundary Air Issues Branch
351 St Joseph Boulevard, 11th Floor Gatineau, Quebec Canada K1A 0H3
Telephone: (819) 953-5945
Fax: (819) 953-8963
Email: Greg [dot] Filyk [at] ec [dot] gc [dot] ca