Canada vs. The World

In Canada, we are in a very fortunate situation. We are in a country that contains almost all of Earth's usable freshwater. That makes this resource so precious to us. Having this gem of a resource also gives us the additional responsibility of keeping it safe. Many things have contaminated the water including chemicals, pharmaceuticals and pesticides but through bioremediation technologies, we are able to treat the water. Environment Canada has approved many bacteria to be added to the environment for bioremedial processes. 

Despite the challenges harsh Canadian climates can provide, bioremediation still comes in clutch in many situations. An example is from 2006, when the northernmost permanently inhabited settlement in the world, the Canadian Forces Station Alert, has 22000 litres of diesel spill into surrounding soil. With a 10-year plan in mind, taking in account the harsh Canadian weather, they were able to get the soil to an acceptable level in just 6 years, through the use of bioremediation organisms. Bioremediation saved taxpayers a lot of money and most importantly, helped the environment and everything affected by it. Diesel as the main energy source in Canada leads to many accidental spills that other countries may not have, and also having the fresh water to protect also differs Canada's actions from other countries. However, what we do know is that remediation solutions are a need and will continue to be developed and researched in the great North we know as Canada.

Exact information to compare bioremediation processes and research between countries is very difficult due to many different circumstances, such as water bodies nearby, temperature, soil quality, etc. While Canada does allowed Environmental Canada approved organisms to be added in the environment, according to protectmarinelifenow.org, "Most countries do not allow products with foreign species or microbes in them to be introduced into their ecosystems due to unpredictable interactions and side effects that may occur and/or develop over time that would be detrimental to maintaining the delicate balance in these environments."