The Great Lakes contain almost 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water and are the source of drinking water for 8.5 million Canadians. Cleaning up legacy pollution caused by human activity in key hotspots in the Great Lakes, such as the Bay of Quinte, and restoring and protecting the lakes supports the health and well-being of millions of Canadians, ecosystems and the economy.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced an investment of more than $2.7 million over three years in 24 projects that will advance Great Lakes priorities under the Freshwater Action Plan. The new projects support region-specific actions to restore water quality and ecosystem health, with a focus on Great Lakes Areas of Concern, including the Bay of Quinte, which have been identified as having experienced high levels of environmental harm from pollution.
Minister Guilbeault made the announcement in the city of Belleville alongside Mayor Neil Ellis, Parliamentary Secretary Vance Badawey, and local freshwater and conservation organizations. The announcement included two new projects in the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern:
- The Lower Trent Conservation Authority will receive $276,000 to work with rural landowners and implement best management practices to reduce soil erosion and phosphorus loading in the Area of Concern.
- The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte will receive $75,656 to support their participation in decision making related to the status of impairments in the Area of Concern as well as to support the planning and implementation of a community fish consumption survey.
Additionally, Minister Guilbeault announced that the Bay of Quinte is one of the remaining 12 Canadian Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes where Canada commits to completing all actions to restore water quality and ecosystem health by 2030.
Funding from the Freshwater Action Plan is already at work in the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern. Last year, Quinte Conservation received $115,145 to support the implementation of the Bay of Quinte long-term phosphorus management plan by providing critical water quality monitoring data. The Lower Trent Region Conservation Authority received $270,000 to engage the community and local partners in the assessment of impairments in the Area of Concern.
In March 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an investment of $420 million over ten years to accelerate the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes, as part of Canada's announcement of $650 million in the Freshwater Action Plan to protect and restore freshwater bodies of national significance. Canada aims to complete all actions to clean up 12 of 14 remaining Canadian Areas of Concern by 2030, with all 14 completed by 2038, and meet Canada's phosphorus load reduction targets for Lake Erie by 2039. Great Lakes priorities under the Freshwater Action Plan support the delivery of Canada's commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health.
