Move made to shore up Great Lakes
Water quality and ecosystem continues to face threats
The Great Lakes are an economic and environmental powerhouse with tremendous potential, Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey said Thursday at Sugarloaf Harbour Marina in Port Colborne.
But despite their importance and despite the actions of governments on all levels, Great Lakes water quality and the health of the ecosystem continues to be threatened, he said.
“We are dealing with algae, aquatic invasive species, habitat degradation and a legacy of contamination … and then there’s the impact of climate change on water quality and quantity.”
Badawey, along with St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle, area mayors, private groups and residents were at the marina for a funding announcement by Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
McKenna said the federal government was handing out $8.95 million in funding over four years for 36 local on-the-ground projects under the Great Lakes Protection Initiative.
One of the projects being funded through the Niagara Parks Commission, which will receive $130,000 over two years, is to create, restore and expand riparian and nearshore habitat for fish and wildlife by planting native species and constructing habitat structures.
“We know there are serious challenges to our Great Lakes, whether it’s toxins, the historic legacies … but we also see the impacts of climate change … algae blooms and invasive species,” said McKenna.
The minister pointed out two partners at the announcement — Swim Drink Fish Canada and ALUS Canada — who will carry out projects to restore the Great Lakes.
Swim Drink Fish Canada project will receive $1.8 million and part of its project will be to set up monitoring hubs in communities across the Great Lakes basin to report on water quality.
ALUS Canada will receive $600,000 over three years to focus on reducing phosphorus inputs to Lake Erie through the restoration of natural features on agricultural lands, McKenna said.
“So why are we doing this? We value our nature, we value our water. We will continue to protect our nature, to protect our water, to improve the outcomes because it’s the right thing to do for the environment, it’s also the right thing to do for our economy,” she said.
Bryan Gilvesy, chief executive officer of ALUS Canada, said the organization will quickly establish 75 acres of projects in the Lake Erie basin.
“I’m talking about wetlands, riparian buffers, native tall-grass prairie and erosion control measures to help reduce phosphorus levels and protect water quality,” said Gilvesy.
The ALUS projects will be carried out in Norfolk, and Middlesex counties and ChathamKent.
The Great Lakes contain 20 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water and are one of most diverse ecosystems on earth, sustaining 4000 species of plants and animals.
Krystyn Tully, of Swim Drink Fish Canada, said in Canada, and especially the Great Lakes, the No. 1 threat to swimmable, drinkable, fishable water is sewage pollution.
“It affects our drinking water supply, it affects our ability to touch the water without getting sick or getting a rash, it affects the health of the fish that communities need to eat, it affects the nature that lives in and around our cities,” she said.
Tully said the vast majority of people on the Great Lakes believe the lakes should be protected. The group, she said, is working to connect people with the water so they are not afraid of it and can help protect it.