Ont. Liberals Pledge To End Great Lakes Runoff – Improve Beaches

For immediate release

STRENGTHENING PROTECTION FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT
Ontario Liberal Plan Introduces Next Chapter To Keep Our Water Clean

TORONTO – Only Ontario Liberals will protect our air, land and water, Children and Youth Services Minister and Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues Laurel Broten announced today.

“Ontario families care deeply about the safety of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we grow,” Broten said. “Today we’re taking the next step in our Ontario Liberal Plan to safeguard our environment for our children and our grandchildren.”

Ontario Liberals will defend Ontario’s precious water resources for future generations with a Great Lakes Protection Act that will be the next chapter in clean water for Ontario. It will also ensure that Ontario keeps its edge as a world leader in clean-water protection.

It’s a $52 million program that will help:
*Clean up the pollution hot spots identified by scientists, targeting Nipigon Bay, and Peninsula Harbour on Lake Superior, Detroit River, Niagara River, and the Bay of Quinte on Lake Ontario as the next priorities.
*Better prevent pollution and runoff such as phosphorous from getting into the Great Lakes by working more closely with our regional partners.
*Reconnect Ontarians with the Great Lakes in their communities, by promoting recreational opportunities, improving beaches and supporting community programs.

“Ontario Liberals have been one of the most environmentally progressive and successful governments in North America,” Broten said. “We’re proud today to continue building on our strong record of environmental protection.”

Since 2003, Ontario Liberals have reduced coal-fired electricity by more than 90 per cent – the equivalent of taking 7 million cars off the road. We have reduced pesticides in our waterways by 80 per cent and permanently protected a combined area of greenspace the size of Great Britain. We are also North American leaders for drinking water standards, endangered species legislation and pollution laws.

Under the last PC government, water inspectors were fired and Ontario earned a reputation as one of the worst places in North America for environmental protection. The Hudak PCs would take us backwards – their $14 billion hole would mean deep cuts to environmental protection. The Horwath NDP has turned its back on the environment.
– their priority would be to subsidize gas-guzzlers and they have consistently failed to support our progressive environmental initiatives like the Endangered Species Act, the Far North Act and the cosmetic pesticides ban.

“Protecting our environment is a responsibility we bear towards the next generation,” Broten said. “We – and our children and grandchildren – need the strong, steady environmental stewardship that only Dalton McGuinty can provide as we protect our environment by moving forward, together.”

For further information –
Ontario Liberal Party Media Office:
416 961-3800 ext. 328

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One response to “Ont. Liberals Pledge To End Great Lakes Runoff – Improve Beaches”

  1. Trevor Watt Avatar
    Trevor Watt

    Ontario Helping Local Groups Protect and Restore Great Lakes
    Province Marking Earth Day; Investing $1.5 Million in Grassroots Projects
    NEWS April 22, 2016

    Ontario is investing $1.5 million this year in local efforts to help protect, restore and enhance the Great Lakes.

    Now in its fourth year, the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund is providing up to $25,000 each to fund 69 projects led by not-for-profit organizations, schools, First Nations and Métis communities and other local groups. These projects have a direct environmental benefit to the Great Lakes and include:

    Planting trees and other forms of vegetation
    Naturalizing stream banks
    Cleaning up beaches and shorelines
    Creating rain gardens
    Restoring wetland habitat
    Controlling invasive species

    Since it was created in 2012, the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund has awarded $6 million to 305 community-based projects in Great Lakes watershed areas, including the St. Lawrence River Basin and the Ottawa River.

    Investing in communities along the Great Lakes is part of the government’s economic plan to build Ontario up and deliver on its number one priority to grow the economy and create jobs. The four-part plan includes investing in talent and skills, including helping more people get and create the jobs of the future by expanding access to high-quality college and university education. The plan is making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history and investing in a low-carbon economy driven by innovative, high-growth, export-oriented businesses. The plan is also helping working Ontarians achieve a more secure retirement.

    QUOTES

    “Healthy Great Lakes are vital to the success of our province. We are proud to support local projects that help protect and restore the Great Lakes, make sure they can thrive through the impacts of the changing climate and keep them drinkable, swimmable and fishable for generations to come. On this Earth Day, I commend you for showing Ontario that as Great Lakes Guardians, we can be confident that you will continue to do the right thing to help us take care of the Great Lakes.”

    — Glen Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change

    QUICK FACTS

    § Since 2012, the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund has supported more than 11,000 volunteers to plant 85,125 trees, release 2,133 fish, create or enhance 643 kilometres of trail and collect over 600 bags of garbage.

    § Since 2007, Ontario has invested more than $140 million into 1,000 local Great Lakes protection projects that have reduced harmful pollutants, restored some of the most contaminated areas, and engaged hundreds of partners and community groups to protect and restore the health of the Great Lakes.

    § Ontario’s Great Lakes Basin is home to 40 per cent of Canada’s economic activity and 95 per cent of Ontario’s agricultural land.

    § The Great Lakes basin is home to nearly 99 per cent of the province’s population, over 95 per cent of the province’s agriculture and food production, 80 per cent of the province’s power generation, and 75 per cent of the country’s manufacturing sector.

    § Ontario has 10,000 kilometres of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence shoreline, the longest freshwater coastline in the world.

    § The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region generated $5.8 trillion (USD) in 2014 and supports nearly 47 million jobs, which is almost 30 per cent of the combined Canadian and U.S. workforce.

    LEARN MORE

    Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund Recipients

    Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy first progress report

    Water Quality in Ontario 2014 Report

    Great Lakes and Watersheds

    Canada-Ontario Great Lakes Agreement

    Guide to eating Ontario fish and how you can combat invasive species

    12-point plan on blue green algal blooms and Great Lakes Agricultural Stewardship Initiative

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