Welcome to the Upper St. Lawrence River Protection Network!


The Upper St. Lawrence River Protection Network is a central Hub for Community Groups, First Nations, Conservation Authorities, Municipal Government, and other interested parties who are connected to the Upper St. Lawrence River. Our goals include the sharing of information on and promoting the sustainability and improvement of the health of the Upper St. Lawrence River.  Coming together with others who share your interest in the St. Lawrence River!

Those interested in more information should contact the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) Transition Coordinator, Karen Douglass Cooper at 613-936-6620 (ext.229) or e-mail at  kcooper@riverinstitute.ca.

Current:

The Marine Incident in Cornwall's North Channel of the St. Lawrence River that began Monday, June 22, 2015 with the sinking of two tugs concluded on August 8 with the salvaging of the second of the two capsized vessels. 

Cornwall - Two tugboats capsized in the North Channel at Cornwall on the St. Lawrence River on Monday afternoon, June 22, 2015 while working on the dismantling of the old bridge. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada was the lead agency investigating these incidents. The Canadian Coast Guard and partner agencies were charged with monitoring of pollution along the shorelines over the course of the incident while recovery operations were attempted. The local office of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change was on the scene throughout and reported the following on Monday, August 10, 2015 upon the conclusion of the operation:
  • Late Saturday, August 8, 2015 - the second tug "LCM131" was recovered on deck of the salvage barge OC181
  • An unrecoverable amount of pollution (oily water) was released when LCM131 cleared the surface of the water
  • Coast Guard ER crews were on scene to verify pollution was unrecoverable
  • ER crew followed leading edge downstream and indicated it was mid-channel
  • Coast Guard crews were stood down; assets were removed and the response was terminated
"The Cornwall Office (MOECC) has appreciated the input and interest  of all the stakeholders as this ministry worked to support the Coast Guard lead.  The local knowledge of various parties was helpful as we shared information and provided input to the larger group.  There were some releases with each stage of the salvage – but to date impacts were minimal given the nature/volume of the products released and the location (i.e., mid channel for most of the contaminants)." 

Aerial view of the initial sheen on St. Lawrence River


Lac Manitoba (Montreal) capsized on June 22, 2015

Second work boat capsized on June 22, 2015



Upcoming Events: 


Upper St. Lawrence River Protection Network Information Meeting

Thursday, November 12 (6:30 pm)

@

St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences
St. Lawrence College Cornwall Campus under the windmill