Minister's Speech

House Statement to Ontario Legislature

The Honourable John Gerretsen
Minister of the Environment

First Reading Proposed Lake Simcoe Protection Act
June 17, 2008

(Check against delivery)

Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today and introduce the proposed Lake Simcoe Protection Act.

Let me begin by reminding members of the commitment Premier McGuinty made to protect Lake Simcoe nearly one year ago.

We are delivering on that commitment. 

I’d like to quote Stephen Leacock — one of Ontario’s literary greats.  He once wrote:

“… the Islands of the Aegean Sea have been regarded for centuries as a scene of great beauty … the Mediterranean coast of France and the valleys of the Pyrenees are a charm to the enchanted eye … But to my thinking none of those will stand comparison with the smiling beauty of the waters, shores and bays of Lake Simcoe ... “

That “smiling beauty” is part of the great legacy of this province.

We must honour and preserve that legacy so it will be there for our children and for generations of Ontarians to enjoy.

But Mr. Speaker … these waters haven’t always been treated with respect.  For close to 200 hundred years, Lake Simcoe has been under stress.

Human activities have significantly affected the watershed … the landscape has been changed … water quality has been degraded… shoreline vegetation, wildlife and natural systems have been altered.   

Add to that the pressures of population growth, urban and rural development, new invasive species and climate change. 

Our government cannot and will not allow that damage to continue unabated.

We have seen some signs of modest recovery in recent years but strong actions are still needed to restore the natural balance of the Lake Simcoe ecosystem.

That’s what we aim to do by bringing forward new proposed legislation that would set the framework for developing a long-term protection plan for the lake and its watershed.

It would include regulating protection of critical shoreline areas to protect water quality.

And it would provide the authority to create the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan and set the scope of that plan. 

This plan would directly affect key decisions involving activities that may cause harm to the ecological health of the watershed.

This plan would allow us to adapt our efforts to respond to new challenges like climate change and invasive species. 

And it would ensure the promotion of environmentally sustainable land use and development practices.

Mr. Speaker, our government will be investing $20 million over four years for stewardship, science and monitoring actions and for implementing the long-term plan to protect Lake Simcoe. 

Farmers are doing good work to reduce the amount of phosphorus going into the lake.  But they need to do more and we will help them.

A large part of our $20 million funding commitment is earmarked for enhancing existing funding programs for implementing agricultural best practices.

This will help farmers with the costs of putting in place measures to reduce agricultural impacts on the lake and we will consult with farmers on the best ways to do this.

What we are proposing today would build on the work that we have already begun …

We put new interim limits on phosphorus discharges from sewage plants …

We appointed a Lake Simcoe Science Advisory Committee which, in fact, is meeting today on Georgina Island with the Aboriginal community.

We have also established the Stakeholder Advisory Committee … I want to make special mention of the members of the committee who are joining us in the house today.

We consulted extensively with Ontarians through the Lake Simcoe Discussion paper.  I personally attended the workshops and public information forums that were held in Barrie and Newmarket.

 We will continue to work with Ontarians to develop the plan.

Mr. Speaker … people are truly passionate about protecting our lakes and waterways.

They know how important our fresh water resources are to life in Ontario …

More than 350,000 people live in the Lake Simcoe watershed … in the summer that number grows to around 400,000.

Around $200 million a year is generated for the local economy through tourism, fishing and boating.

Eight communities get their drinking water from the lake … and an estimated $300 million is generated by agricultural production every year.

There is no question that these waters are essential to our people’s health, to our success and to our quality of life.  

Mr. Speaker, we have a duty to the future … to ensure we leave our environment in better shape than we found it.

That is what we plan to do. 

Today, we are taking an important step forward to protect and sustain the waters, the ecosystem … and the beauty of Lake Simcoe …

Mr. Speaker, I urge all the members to support our proposed legislation.

Thank you.

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