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Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to both of our guests today for giving us such interesting information to discuss this morning.

I wanted to thank you, Ms. Strom, for the work that Suncor does in engaging stakeholders in the community. In particular, I wanted to highlight, if you'll allow me, some of the community initiatives undertaken in my own local area of Mississauga. You mentioned earlier that the Suncor lubricants facility is located there. Actually, that's in my riding, near the waterfront. In fact, the plant shares land with Mississauga Bradley House Museum. It's my understanding that this unique relationship has led to a partnership with the Friends of the Museums of Mississauga. Suncor has made an investment in the community with about 1,000 high-risk students who study at the museum's site with a curriculum-based program that allows them to learn about daily life in the 1800s.

The way I see it, this kind of community engagement is important to that triple-e bottom line that's so often talked about, so I wanted to thank you for that.

I also wanted to know if you have any knowledge of the partnership with the Riverwood Conservancy, also in Mississauga. It's a large urban park in Mississauga. Suncor partners with Riverwood on a secondary school field science program called, Exploration Naturally. It's okay if you don't know about it, but if you do, I was hoping you could tell us a bit about it.

Don't worry. I'm sure I could look it up. I do like the focus on youth and not only high-risk youth but also on science and getting young people involved in the science of the environment. I appreciate that and thank you for it.

I'm wondering also who your corporate partners are, and do you regularly meet with them and/or the community partners with regard to environmental sustainability? If so, what are the products or results of these meetings, these partnerships?

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to Mr. Butler and Mr. Fortune for being here today to inform our study.

I want to talk to Ducks Unlimited Canada about Ontario, the land of 1,000 lakes where I'm from—and where 13 million people also live—to pick up on the conversation about wetland loss. According to your website, southern Ontario apparently has lost 72% of its wetlands, over 170,000 acres, between 1982 and 2002 alone.

In Canada, is it true that it's the equivalent of 45 soccer fields per day of wetlands that are lost? That's a bit shocking and sad.

I wonder if any of the work that Ducks Unlimited Canada does is in urban areas in particular.

Interpretive facilities?

Are some of those in partnership with the private sector?

The definition of what you do—everything you do—is really in partnership with the private sector.

Would that be a fair statement?

I was also impressed to read about your partnership with Street Capital Financial Corporation. I like the slogan “Get a home for your family, give a home to wildlife”. That's very nice.

Does that operate across Canada? How does that work?

It's almost like social licence but on a smaller scale, on an individual family scale.

I was particularly interested in the second point you made about the types of partnerships you have, and voluntary conservation offset, in particular the habitat banking.

I have two questions on that.

In your experience, is it only the large private sector companies that can afford to do this kind of thing? Are there any SMEs that might participate in these types of initiatives and projects?

With regard to my second question, you mentioned pre-banking, doing this habitat conservation banking before the other project is completed. Can you tell us how that works?

Sometimes it's just a matter of greening your corporate grounds, for example.

Benefit to a wetland, for example.

It has to be highlighted.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to all of you for being here today, with a special thanks to Mike and Terri for speaking to us and letting this wonderful committee know about all the great things that are happening in the Credit Valley watershed. I happen to know about them, and am delighted to share them with my colleagues and with other Canadians. Thanks for your time.

I want to ask you a few questions, particularly in the area of water pollution.

Mike, I know that your area of expertise is water transformation. What is CVC doing...? You talked about low-impact development and reducing water pollution. Can you tell us how companies like Imax, Teck Resources, and RBC are helping CVC to do its work in the area of water transformation and water pollution?

Would you happen to know the dollar amounts these companies are contributing? Roughly what kind of money are we talking about?

Thank you.

On the subject of water quality and water pollution, I've participated in a couple of CVC-organized activities, in shoreline cleanups along Lake Ontario, and I know that a number of volunteers are involved. I'm wondering if any of those volunteers, or if the bulk of them, come from the private sector, companies that partner with you. Is that where you find the majority of your volunteers?