Canada invests more than $3.9 million as part of Freshwater Action Plan
- October 4, 2022
- Posted by: Sinead Sprigg
- Category: Environmental, Global, Investment and Finance, Water Issues, Water Treatment, North America
The Great Lakes of Canada are one of the largest surface freshwater systems in the world – accounting for almost 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water. The Great Lakes support local economies and provide drinking water for tens of millions of people.
The Canadian government has announced an investment of more than $3.9 million over three years in thirty-nine new projects in Ontario through the Great Lakes Protection Initiative, part of the Government of Canada’s Freshwater Action Plan.
It’s been 50 years since Canada and the USA signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which commits to restore and protect the waters of the Great Lakes.
“As we celebrate fifty years of collaboration under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, it is important that we continue to advance Great Lakes priorities, including Canada’s commitment to clean up Canadian Areas of Concern. By working together with regional partners and Indigenous Peoples, we are finding practical solutions to protect our important natural resources. Our investment in local projects is engaging and empowering communities to take action and contribute toward our collective efforts to restore and protect the water quality and ecosystem health of our beloved Great Lakes.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Projects include engaging First Nations on Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health issues, including issues of cultural and traditional importance. Other projects engage stakeholders, the public and citizen scientists on the clean-up of plastics and trash along the western Lake Ontario waterfront.
The Great Lakes Protection Initiative supports action by others to prevent toxic and nuisance algae; reduce releases of harmful chemicals; engage Indigenous Peoples in addressing Great Lakes issues; and increase public engagement through citizen science.
Since 1989, Environment and Climate Change Canada has funded more than 1,275 restoration projects to address Areas of Concern.