Experimental Lakes Research to Continue in Canada

Government of Canada announces that a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area has been secured

The Honorable Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and Joyce Bateman, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Center, on behalf of the Honorable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced that agreements have been finalized with the new operator of the Experimental Lakes Area, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD ELA Inc.) These agreements mean that the federal government has fulfilled its commitments to ensuring that research at the Experimental Lakes Area can continue under a new operator.

“I am pleased to announce that the federal government has secured a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area,” said the Honorable Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario. “The federal government has been leading negotiations to transfer the Experimental Lakes Area for the past year and we are pleased IISD will continue the work of the ELA.”

As part of the federal agreement, IISD will receive surplus assets and operational funding of $1 million over four years to help with the transition. The federal government has been working with the Government of Ontario and IISD since September 2012, in order to secure a new operator for the Experimental Lakes Area better suited to conduct whole-lake experiments. The Experimental Lakes Area is a unique, world-class facility for conducting whole-lake experiments and can provide significant contributions to scientific knowledge of freshwater ecosystems.

“With these agreements and upcoming regulations, our Government has followed through on its commitment to ensure that scientific research can continue at the ELA. In addition to the donation of surplus moveable assets, I am pleased that our Government will provide financial support to IISD to help with the transition,” said Joyce Bateman, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Center.

“This agreement opens a fresh, new chapter in the life of the ELA,” said Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of IISD. “Together, IISD and ELA will support world-class, science-based observations that will help shape policies needed to understand and respond to mounting threats to our freshwater resources, from the impact of mercury from coal-fired electricity generating plants to the effects of climate change on water hydrology. We are grateful for the commitment of the Government of Canada and other partners.”