The  map viewer above displays several RAP habitat and cleanup projects in Thunder Bay Harbour. Click here if you would like to open the full viewer in a new tab.

The February 8th meeting of the Public Advisory Committee to the Thunder Bay Remedial Action Plan (RAP) or harbour cleanup plan, will focus on Thunder Bay Harbour fish and wildlife habitat. The meeting is meant to provide:

• an overview of Thunder Bay habitat degradation
• actions not yet completed to address habitat degradation
• a presentation on harbour substrate mapping, as it relates to fish habitat (R. Kiriluk, Environment & Climate Change Canada)
• next steps and discussion (facilitated by Dr. Rob Stewart, Lakehead University).

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, which is free of charge. Evening parking at Lakehead University is also free of charge. The meeting will be held in the Advanced Technology and Academic Centre (ATAC) building room 3004 (located in the NW corner of 3rd floor). The meeting agenda is included in the “Complete Meeting Package” for this posting which follows below.

Background

Thunder Bay harbour fish and wildlife habitat has been degraded by urban and industrial waterfront development. Lake Superior lake bottom and shoreline habitat, as well as habitat along rivers and streams flowing to Superior, has been lost as a result. Remedial Action Plan habitat restoration projects have assisted in restoring spawning areas and wetland conditions in several harbour locations with the goal of creating productive conditions nurturing fish and aquatic life as well as bird and animal populations. Despite these efforts there is still room for habitat enhancement balancing harbour environmental and economic considerations.

Addtionally, Public Advisory Committee members will discuss next steps to address mercury contamination in the northern portion of Thunder Bay Harbour adjacent to Current River mouth and the shipyards. This discussion comes after a very informative November 30th presentation by Dr. Chris McLaughlin about cleanup of contamination in Hamilton Harbour.

MEETING PACKAGE:

• Agenda
• Meeting Minutes (November 30, 2016)
• Map of Lakehead University Campus showing ATAC building
  (enter the university from Balmoral at Beverly)
• Delisting Criteria: Loss of Fish Habitat
• Delisting Criteria: Loss of Wildlife Habitat
• Presentation: Submerged Substrate Mapping in the Thunder Bay Region
• Presentation: Potential Funding Sources for Habitat Projects
• Reference Document from Environment & Climate Change Canada: “How Much Habitat is Enough?”
• A presentation outlining recent steps to address lost of habitat
• A summary document outlining actions and monitoring to address loss of habitat, as cited in the 2012 RAP Update.
  
• Delisting Criteria for Degradation of Fish Populations