Regional response planning

The Regional Response Planning pilot is developing a collaborative approach to environmental response planning that is tailored to the unique risks and conditions specific to the area, including environmental sensitivities and marine activity. Several pilot areas are underway including Northern British Columbia; Southern British Columbia; Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia; Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec. On the West Coast the Government of Canada will collaborate with coastal Indigenous Nations and the Province of BC as well as engage with response partners and stakeholders to develop a new environmental response plans. As part of the planning process, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard will work with Indigenous communities and others to identify and map regions of high ecological sensitivity as well as areas of cultural, social, and economic importance. This will improve the identification of conservation priorities, such as identifying critical habitat, and enable authorities to take rapid appropriate action, such as fisheries closures if necessary. This presentation will provide an overview of Regional Response Planning, current Pilot projects, linkages with other Oceans Protection Plan initiatives, our short-term and long-term goals, incorporating best practices and building on existing work, our collaborative approach with partners, and the timelines for collaborative planning and reporting