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February 21, 2006
Pollution Probe
launches a new environment and health website
(Sarnia, ON)
Pollution Probe is pleased to announce the release of a new website called
Enviroplace – a web-based pilot project featuring the Sarnia– Lambton
community.
Enviroplace
is a web-based tool designed to help Sarnia–Lambton residents and community
decision-makers gain better access to information about their environment on
their terms. For the most part, data may be unavailable to the public
because of its raw form or it may be difficult to understand because it is
scattered among many sources. The Enviroplace pilot involves
accessing data from environmental monitoring that is currently being done by
the federal, provincial and municipal governments, as well as industry, and
making it available to the user in a single site.
“Enviroplace
is unique because it allows the user to select and pull down data and
information that are of interest to them,” said Rick Findlay, director of
Pollution Probe’s water programme. Information is usually gathered and
presented in a format that suits the agency that posts it – not in a way
that allows data and information to be presented in a format that is
relevant to the user.
Findlay notes that “data and information are a foundation of making informed
decisions to protect the environment and human health. Enviroplace
is an important step forward in helping citizens and decision-makers in this
community obtain better access to information that is already being
collected.”
Enviroplace
has been developed with the input of many organizations within the Sarnia–Lambton
community, including the Sarnia–Lambton Environmental Association, the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Environment Canada, the Canadian Centre
for Pollution Prevention, the St. Clair Regional Conservation Authority, the
County of Lambton, the Walpole Island First Nation, the Aamjiwnaang First
Nation, and the Occupational Health Clinic for Ontario Workers.
The Enviroplace website is accessible at
http://www.enviroplace.ca.
Pollution Probe gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Trillium
Foundation for this project.
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For more information:
Rick Findlay, Director, Water Programme (Ottawa Office)
(613) 237-8666
(613) 863-8081 (cell)
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