Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability

Overview

We are a not-for-profit coalition of partners whose common purpose is to promote the long-term viability of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence region. 

The Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability (Coalition -SGSL) was formally constituted in November 1999, with the mission to promote the long-term viability of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem.

The founding meeting was the culmination of several years’ effort of broad consultation, issue identification, and partnership building among a diverse cross-section of stakeholders throughout the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Region. This meeting was held in Summerside Prince Edward Island on November 19-20, 1999.

The participants of this meeting formed a list (an agenda) of pertinent long-term issues occuring within watersheds and coastal ecosystems of the Southern Gulf, these issues act as guidelines for our Steering Committee -mainly responsible for ensuring that Coalition decisions are in line with our philosophy. Of the approximately 350 issues identified by our members, 16 emerged as being most relevant, with the following identified as the three top priorities-

  • Need to harmonize Government Policies,
  • Threats to natural habitat, and
  • Awareness and knowledge about our region

Since then, we have expanded and modified our priority list, as the needs of the Region are dynamic requiring us to change with them. Currently, we have the Steering Committee and 7 Working Groups to promote, address, and act upon these priorities. The Working Groups are as follows: Science, Research & HabitatFund & DevelopmentCoastal ErosionCommunication & Education,Technical AdvisoryTraditional Ecological Knowledge and Annual General Meeting.