VICTORIA - Canada's only marine mammal toxicologist at the Institute of Ocean Sciences on Vancouver Island is losing his job as the federal government cuts almost all employees who monitor ocean pollution across Canada.
Peter Ross, an expert on killer whales and other marine mammals, was the lead author of a report 10 years ago that demonstrated Canada's killer whales are the most contaminated marine mammals on the planet. He has more than a 100 published reports.
Now, he's a casualty of the Conservative's budget cuts, one of 75 people across Canada told this past week his services will no longer be needed because the Department of Fisheries is closing the nation's contaminants program.
For about a decade, Fisheries and Oceans has been trying to offload the program to Environment Canada, Ross said. Instead, this week, it axed it.
In total, 1,075 people working for the Department of Fisheries received letters Thursday telling them their jobs will be redundant or affected - including 215 in the Pacific Region.
The closure of DFO's contaminants program in Victoria will see nine marine scientists and staff - two research scientists, a chemist and six support staff - based in North Saanich lose their jobs or be retrained and moved.
The entire Department of Fisheries and Oceans contaminants program is being shut down effective April 1, 2013. Official letters are expected to be delivered in June, and Ross said he's been told he'll have a few months to wrap up his files.
``The entire pollution file for the government of Canada, and marine environment in Canada's three oceans, will be overseen by five junior biologists scattered across the country - one of which will be stationed in B.C.,'' said Ross.
``I cannot think of another industrialized nation that has completely excised marine pollution from its radar,'' said Ross, who was informed in a letter Thursday that his position will be ``affected.''
``It is with apprehension that I ponder a Canada without any research or monitoring capacity for pollution in our three oceans, or any ability to manage its impacts on commercial fish stocks, traditional foods to over 300,000 aboriginal people, and marine wildlife,'' Ross said.
Ross oversees pollution files including everything from municipal sewage and contaminated sites to the effect of pesticide on salmon and the impact of PCBs on killer whales.
If we can understand through scientific means the threats to killer whales listed as endangered or threatened, then we are in a much better position to protect and recover that species, Ross said.
DFO spokeswoman Melanie Carkner said between Fisheries and the Canadian Coast Guard, about $79.3 million in savings has been found, ``primarily by adjusting our internal operations and administration.''
``We will be removing about 400 positions from DFO's 11,000-strong workforce,'' Carkner said. ``This works out to less than two per cent a year over three years.''
The department said it is refocusing its research on conservation and fisheries management: ``In lieu of in-house research on the biological effects of contaminants and pesticides, the department will establish an advisory group and research fund of $1.4 million a year to work with academia and other independent facilities to get advice on priority issues.''
Green Party leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, said it's shocking to lose all the toxin-related research going on at the Institute for Ocean Sciences and across Canada, especially when the Conservative government is ``blindly and recklessly enthusiastic about putting oil tankers on B.C.'s coastline.''
``I will do everything I can to stop this government's budget bill,'' May said of the Budget Implementation Act, Bill C-38.
Deficit reduction is important, she said. ``But to take out an entire group, that's not prudent fiscal management, that's driven by ideology that doesn't want to know what toxic chemicals are doing in the oceans and freshwater.''
Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Cindy E. Harnett
Peter Ross, an expert on killer whales and other marine mammals, was the lead author of a report 10 years ago that demonstrated Canada's killer whales are the most contaminated marine mammals on the planet. He has more than a 100 published reports.
Now, he's a casualty of the Conservative's budget cuts, one of 75 people across Canada told this past week his services will no longer be needed because the Department of Fisheries is closing the nation's contaminants program.
For about a decade, Fisheries and Oceans has been trying to offload the program to Environment Canada, Ross said. Instead, this week, it axed it.
In total, 1,075 people working for the Department of Fisheries received letters Thursday telling them their jobs will be redundant or affected - including 215 in the Pacific Region.
The closure of DFO's contaminants program in Victoria will see nine marine scientists and staff - two research scientists, a chemist and six support staff - based in North Saanich lose their jobs or be retrained and moved.
The entire Department of Fisheries and Oceans contaminants program is being shut down effective April 1, 2013. Official letters are expected to be delivered in June, and Ross said he's been told he'll have a few months to wrap up his files.
``The entire pollution file for the government of Canada, and marine environment in Canada's three oceans, will be overseen by five junior biologists scattered across the country - one of which will be stationed in B.C.,'' said Ross.
``I cannot think of another industrialized nation that has completely excised marine pollution from its radar,'' said Ross, who was informed in a letter Thursday that his position will be ``affected.''
``It is with apprehension that I ponder a Canada without any research or monitoring capacity for pollution in our three oceans, or any ability to manage its impacts on commercial fish stocks, traditional foods to over 300,000 aboriginal people, and marine wildlife,'' Ross said.
Ross oversees pollution files including everything from municipal sewage and contaminated sites to the effect of pesticide on salmon and the impact of PCBs on killer whales.
If we can understand through scientific means the threats to killer whales listed as endangered or threatened, then we are in a much better position to protect and recover that species, Ross said.
DFO spokeswoman Melanie Carkner said between Fisheries and the Canadian Coast Guard, about $79.3 million in savings has been found, ``primarily by adjusting our internal operations and administration.''
``We will be removing about 400 positions from DFO's 11,000-strong workforce,'' Carkner said. ``This works out to less than two per cent a year over three years.''
The department said it is refocusing its research on conservation and fisheries management: ``In lieu of in-house research on the biological effects of contaminants and pesticides, the department will establish an advisory group and research fund of $1.4 million a year to work with academia and other independent facilities to get advice on priority issues.''
Green Party leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, said it's shocking to lose all the toxin-related research going on at the Institute for Ocean Sciences and across Canada, especially when the Conservative government is ``blindly and recklessly enthusiastic about putting oil tankers on B.C.'s coastline.''
``I will do everything I can to stop this government's budget bill,'' May said of the Budget Implementation Act, Bill C-38.
Deficit reduction is important, she said. ``But to take out an entire group, that's not prudent fiscal management, that's driven by ideology that doesn't want to know what toxic chemicals are doing in the oceans and freshwater.''
Original Article
Source: vancouver sun
Author: Cindy E. Harnett
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