Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy - OWWA

1 ontario s Great Lakes StrategyFirst Progress Report2016 ontario s Great Lakes Strategy First Progress Report 2016 Table of s New Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015 ..6 Goal 1: Engaging and Empowering 2: Protecting Water for Human and Ecological 3: Improving Wetlands, Beaches and Coastal Areas .. 23 Goal 4: Protecting Habitats and Species ..31 Goal 5: Enhancing Understanding and Adaptation ..36 Goal 6: Ensuring Environmentally Sustainable Economic Opportunities and Innovation ..46 Conclusion ..54 For more information:Ministry of the Environment and Climate ChangePublic Information Centre2nd Floor, Macdonald Block900 Bay Street, Suite M2-22 Toronto, ON M7A 1N3416-325-4000 Toll free: 9934e Queen s Printer for ontario , 2016 Ce document est disponible en fran ais 3 Message from the MinisterOn behalf of all of ontario s Great Lakes ministers, I am pleased to present this first Great Lakes Strategy progress Great Lakes are vitally important to the people of ontario for our drinking water, quality of life and Great Lakes and St.

2 Lawrence River watersheds hold nearly one-fifth of all the fresh surface water on the planet. For ontario , this global ecosystem is both a tremendous gift, and a Great rely on this remarkable system of Lakes for the water we drink, for the energy that powers our communities, for industry and for moving goods to market. With over 98 per cent of Ontarians now living in the watersheds of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, these watersheds also give most of us our beaches, our waterfronts, our nature experiences, and the places we call we released ontario s Great Lakes Strategy in 2012, we set out priority actions that the Government of ontario , working with partners, would take to help keep the Great Lakes drinkable, swimmable and fishable for generations to come.

3 ontario s Great Lakes Strategy included a commitment to reporting on progress after three progress report outlines some of the key accomplishments and new scientific findings during the first three years of ontario s Great Lakes Strategy . It represents the efforts across 14 different ministries and numerous , with our many Great Lakes partners, we are working to protect water, restore nature and focus efforts on priority geographic areas such as wetlands. We have been able to learn from and work with First Nations in implementing ontario s Great Lakes Strategy . We are helping Ontarians connect with and benefit from these majestic Lakes . But there is still more work to be done.

4 We need to continue to invest in science and monitoring of our Great Lakes waters to better inform us of threats to the Lakes . We will use this science to ensure we are making informed decisions to better protect and improve the quality of the scientific research over the past few years also underscores the vulnerability of our Great Lakes . For example, in the summer of 2015 lake Erie experienced its biggest harmful algal bloom ever recorded. This report shares some recent science on the causes of lake Erie s water quality issues and on other pressing issues such as the impacts of climate change in the Great October of 2015, the ontario Legislature passed a new law, the Great Lakes Protection Act.

5 This act recognizes the diverse issues facing the Great Lakes , from invasive species to pollution to climate change. It provides new tools to better tackle these act enshrines ontario s Great Lakes Strategy as a living document and ensures that Great Lakes progress reports will be released every three Great Lakes are essential to the success of our province. We need to work with all of our partners to increase our efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes . Only by working together can we ensure that our children will inherit a legacy of a healthy and resilient Great Lakes encourage all Ontarians to read this report and to get involved in protecting our Great Murray, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change4 ontario s Great Lakes Strategy First Progress ReportIntroductionLake Superior, lake Huron, lake Erie, lake ontario and the St.

6 Lawrence River nearly everyone who lives, works or travels in ontario , knows at least one of these magnificent bodies of water, their watersheds and connecting rivers. In fact, whenever you catch a fish, bike along a trail, visit a provincial park, turn on the faucet to get a drink of water or enjoy a glass of wine from an ontario vineyard, chances are you are enjoying the benefits of the Great Lakes . We have the world s longest freshwater coastline and more of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River s water and coastline than all of the Great Lakes States Province developed ontario s Great Lakes Strategy in response to new pressures that were putting the Great Lakes in jeopardy.

7 Scientists who study the Great Lakes were warning us that the Lakes were at a tipping point of irreversible decline. Our commitments in ontario s Great Lakes Strategy included a promise to report back to Ontarians in three years on our success in carrying out the Strategy as part of our shared responsibility to protect the Great this report you will find highlights of ontario s Great Lakes achievements organized around the six goals of the Strategy :Goal 1: Engaging and empowering communitiesGoal 2: Protecting water for human and ecological healthGoal 3: Improving wetlands, beaches and coastal areasGoal 4: Protecting habitats and speciesGoal 5: Enhancing understanding and adaptationGoal 6.

8 Ensuring environmentally sustainable economic opportunities and report spotlights developments in Great Lakes science, as well as some measures we are using to track our progress. Throughout the report you will find links to comprehensive resources about the Great Lakes , including detailed ontario and binational technical reports on the health of the Great Lakes , their water quality and Pelee National Park. (Southwest ontario Tourism Corporation) 5 IntroductionThis first progress report represents actions and efforts across the 14 Great Lakes ministries led by the Ministries of: Environment and Climate Change; Natural Resources and Forestry; Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Municipal Affairs and Housing; Economic Development; Employment and Infrastructure; Aboriginal Affairs; Tourism, Culture and Sport; Health and Long-Term Care; Transportation; and Intergovernmental Affairs.

9 Input has been provided by the Ministries of Education, Energy, Research and Innovation, and Northern Development and Mines. The report also represents some key actions of First Nations and M tis communities, municipalities, conservation authorities and watershed groups, environmental organizations, the scientific community and academia, the industrial, agricultural, recreational and tourism sectors and the general recognize that the Great Lakes are a shared system. ontario s partnerships with Canada and neighbouring jurisdictions are essential to achieving resilience for the Great Lakes . ontario also recognizes that with so much of the Great Lakes system within our province, we have a responsibility to take action to protect these shared waters.

10 Although this report describes many positive developments since the release of the 2012 Strategy , it also contains recent scientific findings that remind us of the stress these Lakes are under. More needs to be done to restore and protect the Great Lakes thank all of the organizations and individuals who have contributed to the progress and successes that this report Great Lakes the foundation of ontario s economy and quality of lifeThe Great Lakes are a source of enormous economic benefit to ontario and the foundation of ontario s growth and development. They are vital to our well-being and provide invaluable amenities and services. The Great Lakes and their watersheds.