About ICOM in Canada

A Brief History of ICOM in Canada

The concept of coastal zone management was first discussed in Canada in the early 1970s. Recognition of the deteriorating state of coastal and ocean resources and increasing use conflicts motivated a small group of individuals, primarily within government and academia, to address the issue. They suggested and began to explore the ways and means of taking a more coordinated and holistic approach to the planning and management of our coastal and ocean resources and environments.

Inspired by the passing in the United States of the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972, and growing international support for integrated management (IM) approaches, a series of workshops were convened across Canada in the period of 1971-73 to explore the IM principle in the Canadian context. Various task forces were struck and legal and policy analyses undertaken in the following years. In 1978, the Canadian Council of Resource and Environment Ministers (CCREM) convened a national ‘Shore Management’ symposium in Victoria, BC.This represented a peak in the interest in and potential for an integrated approach to coastal (or shore) zone management. Many were convinced that governments were finally going to focus policy attention and resources on a more integrated approach to our coastal and ocean patrimony.

With a reasonable set of principles emerging from the Shore Management Symposium (the ‘Victoria Principles’) and a commitment by federal and provincial governments to pursue more integrated approaches together and within their own jurisdictions, momentum picked up, at least briefly. However, by the early 1980s, leadership positions established at the federal and provincial levels were lost, key institutions within government were reorganized or eliminated, and CZM lost support within government circles.

The federal government tried again in the mid-1980s, with the establishment of the Interdepartmental Committee on Oceans and the policy banner of ‘Marine Environmental Quality’ or ‘MEQ’. For example, the MEQ program of Environment Canada was active from 1985-94, with a focus on land-based pollution, the health of oceans, and a comprehensive action plan. Supported by the release in 1987 of the Oceans Policy for Canada, amongst many documents, most federal departments and agencies with a mandate for and/or interest in the coastal and marine environment, came together and developed a Framework for the Management of MEQ within the federal government and a federal action plan, completed in the early 1990s. The next step was to engage the provinces, territories and others in a truly ‘national’ approach. By the mid-1990s, however, federal resources were reallocated and momentum on MEQ was lost. Individuals persisted, however, and with the passage of the Canada Oceans Act in 1997, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was assigned the federal lead and a new era was born. Provincially, it is reasonable to assume that coastal and ocean management remained a lower priority and occurred in much smaller scale activities than today. The imperative was pollution control through the Fisheries Act, and progress was made with some industrial sectors, hence protecting nearshore water and sediment quality. In the 1980s there was certainly a focus on fisheries management as many commercial fisheries were a primary economic driver for most Atlantic Canadian Provinces. As well, in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia in the 1980s, aquaculture development showed its early beginnings.

Today’s Interest

The passing of Canada’s Oceans Act in 1997 renewed Canada’s focus in coastal and ocean management. Through this legislation, the Government of Canada introduced a formal commitment to establish a more coordinated approach to the management of living resources and human activities in Canada’s estuaries, coasts and open ocean environments, the foci in the Act being ICOM, MPAs and MEQ.

By 1999, the Inter-jurisdictional Working Group (IWG) recognized the need for provinces and territories to be engaged in the implementation of the Oceans Act. The IWG assigned the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers Federal-Provincial-Territorial Oceans Task Group to be responsible for strategic planning for Oceans Act implementation and later the focus changed to Canada’s Oceans Strategy implementation. This task group remains focussed on broad-level strategic planning with a view to enhancing collaboration among federal, provincial and territorial departments and agencies.

The commitment to ICOM, MPAs and MEQ was further demonstrated with the release of Canada’s Oceans Strategy(COS) in 2002 (Question: what happened between 1997 and 2002?) and the accompanying Policy and Operational Framework for Integrated Management of Estuarine, Coastal and Marine Environments in Canada. The legislation, strategy and policy framework identified guiding principles of integrated management, sustainable development and the ecosystem-based approach to coastal and oceans resource use. It identified a clear need for inclusion, collaboration and integration with provinces and territories to implement this approach. Coastal Management Areas and Large Ocean Management Areas were identified as geographic areas in which to pilot scientific research and integrated management structures.

In 2005, the Government of Canada released the Oceans Action Plan which provided detail on several initiatives relating to the ongoing implementation of the Oceans Act. Initiatives were identified under four main themes; International Sovereignty and Security, Integrated Management, Health of the Oceans and Science and Technology. Initially in Atlantic Canada priority was given to three large ocean management areas (LOMAs): the Eastern Scotian Shelf; the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Placentia Bay-Grand Banks. Given the complexity of authorities and interests that need to be included, there is a strong need for clear and accepted leadership, governance structures and information networks. In the Maritimes and in Newfoundland and Labrador, Regional Director General and Deputy Minister (Provincial) level committees have been established to provide strategic direction towards implementing Canada’s Oceans Strategy.

In 2005, the governments of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island began working to develop provincial strategies, policies, and plans that better define provincial roles and objectives in integrated coastal management. The Government of Nova Scotia released its Coastal Management Framework in 2008, to be followed by a Sustainable Coastal Development Strategy in 2010. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador are presently developing a coastal and ocean management strategy and policy framework to be completed in 2009. The Government of New Brunswick has committed to implementing its Coastal Areas Protection Policy and has initiated an integrated coastal and marine planning process in Southwest New Brunswick. Prince Edward Island has committed to develop and implement a coastal and ocean policy. To facilitate information exchange and policy development and implementation, each province has established interdepartmental networks composed of provincial departments and agencies with a mandate in coastal management issues.

Implementing the principle of ICOM is clearly seen in the establishment of Coastal Management Areas and Marine Protected Areas. It is in coastal areas that inland waters, rivers and estuaries connect with the coastal and offshore ocean environment and out to the global commons. Marine Protected Areas, or at least the ones that exist, protect and conserve unique species and or special places in the marine environment. When practicing ICOM in these areas, it is interesting to see the human component at work, as governments engage with industry, community stewards and non-government organizations to work towards common goals of a healthy marine environment and sustainable resource use.

Taken from the Appendix of the ACZISC ICOM Working Group Discussion paper: "The Role of the ACZISC in Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management Policy Development and Implementation in Atlantic Canada."