Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley Delivers On Groundbreaking Great Lakes Protection Legislation

By Doug Draper

Environmentalists and residents at large in regions around the Great Lakes – both Canadian and American – are giving two thumbs up for legislation Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley has drafted for protecting the Great Lakes.

This legislation, introduced in the Ontario legislature this June 6 and called the Great Lakes Protectoin Act, promises to ensure cleaner Great Lakes – the largest source of fresh water in the world – for now and for our children’s and their children’s future.

“I think this is hugely important,” said Theresa McClenaghan, executive director of the Toronto-based Canadian Environmental Law Association. This legislation, she said, ushers in a “whole new approach,” involving all of us and a host of other public and private and public stakeholders in protecting the lakes.

“Ontario’s planned actions are a major step forward in putting us into a leadership role, which will strengthen Ontario’s ability to encourage actions in other states and provinces through our own example. This is critical to address the major problems now threatening the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem,” added John Jackson, Program Director for Great Lakes United, a coalition of Canadian and U.S. environmental, recreational and municipal groups from around the Great Lakes.

“Americans will be pleased that Ontario now has a plan to work together with all stakeholders to restore degraded areas and protect what good habitat we have left in the Great Lakes,”said Sierra Club’s Mary Muter.
 
“Strong policies to conserve wetlands across the Great Lakes basin, particularly in heavily settled regions, are essential to stop and reverse wetland loss thereby ensuring that our Great Lakes remain healthy and resilient to current and future pressures,”says Mark Gloutney, Director of Regional Operations , Eastern Region, Ducks Unlimited Canada.

Then there is an open letter from an old colleague and friend of mine – an award-winning documentary filmmaker now based in Toronto, Kevin McMahon – who has received international praise for his recent film on the Great Lakes called Waterlife, who had this to say about the Bradley legislation;

“Hey friends, I wanted to share this with you, in case you missed it.

Jim Bradley, Ontario’s Minister of Environment, has just released draft legislation on protecting the Great Lakes which, as you will see below, is being universally praised in the environmental community. 

It’s really wonderful news. I don’t remember the last thing any government did that was so happily greeted by environmentalists. Bradley is a great guy and a true environmentalist. He was the minister (of environment) in the early 80s and brought in terrific legislation. If you want to learn more about how good it was, and how far we fell in the intervening years, check out Mark Mattson’s speech from a Council of Canadians event we both spoke at recently, in which he starts with Bradley’s work and talks about what provincial and federal governments have done to environmental legislation since.

Bradley is also the MPP from St Catharines (where I used to be a reporter) and he’s an acquaintance. I know he has seen our WaterLife  and that there are quite a few copies of it at the Ministry. I’m not saying we get any credit for his proposed legislation, but I don’t think our efforts in making the film and touring it around the lakes for the last couple of years hurt, either. By the way, the Council of Canadians is now using the film to drum up support for similar legislation in the other seven jurisdictions controlling the lakes. 

Since you all worked so hard to help get the film made, I thought you’d like to know this.

Because it’s nice, every couple of decades or so, to be on the winning side…  all the best,  Kevin McMahon.

Without prolonging it any longer, here is the June 6 media release from Ontario’s Liberal government on this legislation.

NEWS	June 6, 2012

 

Ontario is introducing legislation today that, if passed, would ensure cleaner Great Lakes that are protected for the future.

Ontarians rely on the Great Lakes for drinking water, food, electricity, transportation, and recreation. Studies show that population growth, and emerging issues including new chemicals of concern, invasive species, pollution and climate change, are stressing the Great Lakes.

The proposed Great Lakes Protection Act would, if passed, provide new tools to restore and protect the lakes. The act would create a council to identify priorities and recommend actions to address them. The province would also provide grants to help community groups undertake improvement projects to protect their part of the Great Lakes.

Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes is part of the McGuinty government’s plan to enhance quality of life for Ontario families and ensure a strong, green economy for future generations.

QUOTES

“Ontario relies on the Great Lakes for our strength and success. The McGuinty government is acting today to protect our lakes and restore them to environmental health.”

 
Quick Facts - More than 80 per cent of Ontarians get their drinking water from the Great Lakes.

• Ontario’s commercial Great Lakes fisheries are worth $200 million annually.
• Ontario’s Great Lakes basin contains 40 per cent of the country’s economic activity.
• The Great Lakes hold one fifth of the world’s surface fresh water resources. 
• About 98 per cent of Ontarians live within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin

 

LEARN MORE

Read the proposed Great Lakes Protection Act. Learn about the proposed Great Lakes Strategy

 Protecting the Future of the Great Lakes

 June 6, 2012

The Great Lakes are important to Ontario families for drinking water, quality of life and our economic prosperity. Protecting the Great Lakes requires partnership and action at all levels – bi-national, federal, provincial, and municipal governments; First Nations and Métis communities; industry and environmental advocates; academics; individuals; and community groups. 

Ontario has been working to protect the Great Lakes since the 1970s.  During the past four decades, progress has been made in cleaning up polluted areas, reducing levels of toxic substances, restoring natural habitats and reducing algae. 

Population growth and new pressures are posing challenges requiring new solutions and a targeted approach to ensure the longevity of the lakes and their legacy for future generations.

PROPOSED GREAT LAKES PROTECTION ACT

The proposed Great Lakes Protection Act will focus on empowering Ontarians to help protect the Great Lakes so they are safe for drinking water, swimming and fishing now and in the future by: 

• Focusing efforts on geographic areas and communities that most need attention
• Bringing government and interested parties together to identify provincial priorities across the Great Lakes
• Creating and implementing a strategy to direct protection activities
• Providing new tools to set targets and develop geographically-focussed initiative’

GREAT LAKES STRATEGY

The proposed Great Lakes Strategy will outline the health of the lakes and efforts to protect it – past, present and future. The strategy will be posted for public commentary and will outline a vision and goals for protecting the lakes by; 

• Empowering communities by creating opportunities for people to become involved in protection and restoration activities
• Protecting water quality and quantity
• Improving beaches, wetlands, coastal areas and protecting habitats and species diversity
• Enhancing understanding and adaptation to support science, particularly relating to climate change and other environmental stresses
• Enriching the quality of life for Ontarians by supporting environmentally sustainable economic opportunities and sustainable use of resources

We are also now posting a media release from environmental groups on both sides of the Canada/U.S. Border. Environmental groups ready to work with all parties to protect the lakes
 
An alliance of Great Lakes environmental groups applauds the Ontario government’s draft Great Lakes Strategy, released today in Toronto. The groups also welcome the government’s proposal for a Great Lakes Protection Act. The Act and strategy aim to address some of the biggest problems facing the Great Lakes.  Among the strategy’s focuses are: water quality; beaches, coastal wetlands and biodiversity; and sustaining economic activity.
 
The groups say that immediate action is required for the Great Lakes’health to improve. Although there are success stories, like improved sewage treatment, and the drop in toxic chemicals like PCB’s, the Great Lakes are described as being “at a tipping point”.
 
“We feel that our collective advice to the government has been heard. We are looking forward to seeing all party support for an important Act to restore the Great Lakes, a huge economic engine, and the drinking water of 37 million people,”said Rick Smith, Executive Director, Environmental Defence.
 
“The government’s proposed bottom-up approach to identifying problems and solutions based on local input and involvement is efficient and inclusive. I am also pleased to see that this Act follows the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario’s advice to bring multiple Ministries together to address cross-cutting issues,”said Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director and Counsel to Canadian Environmental Law Association.
 
A number of factors, including population growth, loss of green space, invasive species, and an increasingly complex chemical soup, made worse by climate change, are combining to put stress on the Great Lakes. 
 
“Americans will be pleased that Ontario now has a plan to work together with all stakeholders to restore degraded areas and protect what good habitat we have left in the Great Lakes,”said Sierra Club’s Mary Muter.
 
“Strong policies to conserve wetlands across the Great Lakes basin, particularly in heavily settled regions, are essential to stop and reverse wetland loss thereby ensuring that our Great Lakes remain healthy and resilient to current and future pressures,”says Mark Gloutney, Director of Regional Operations , Eastern Region, Ducks Unlimited Canada.
 
“Ontario’s planned actions are a major step forward in putting us into a leadership role, which will strengthen Ontario’s ability to encourage actions in other states and provinces through our own example. This is critical to address the major problems now threatening the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem,”said John Jackson, Program Director for Great Lakes United.
 
The groups are pleased that the government intends to create action plans for particular priority areas, or lakes, based on the issues affecting that area. 
 
Over the summer the organizations will encourage people to learn about the government’s strategy and participate in the discussion about the future of the Great Lakes. 
 
About the groups:
 
The Canadian Environmental Law Association works to protect human health and our environment by seeking justice for those harmed by pollution and by working to change policies to prevent such problems in the first place. http://www.cela.ca
 
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUCpartners with government, industry, other non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. Learn more at www.ducks.ca
 
Ecojustice is the country’s leading charitable organization dedicated to using the law to defend Canadians’right to a healthy environment.  www.ecojustice.ca
 
Environmental Defence is Canada’s most effective environmental action organization.  We challenge, and inspire change in government, business and people to ensure a greener, healthier and prosperous life for all. www.environmentaldefence.ca

Great Lakes United is a thirty-year-old coalition of groups in Canada and the U.S. working to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River ecosystem. www.greatlakesunited.org
 
The Sierra Club is a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization working to protect and restore the health of the natural environment, including human communities by empowering Sierra Club members and the citizenry through education, advocacy, action and outdoor adventures. The Great Lakes Section is addressing the multiple stressors on the Great Lakes ecosystem using bi-national coordination of activities with the 9 Great Lakes Sierra Club Chapters.  http://ontario.sierraclub.ca/en/great-lakes-section

(Niagara At Large invites all who dare to share their first and last names to join the discussion in the comment area below.)