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McGuinty Government and Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
agree to bring municipal voice to Great Lakes discussions
TORONTO, July 17 /CNW/ -
NEWS
The McGuinty Government and municipal officials from around the Great
Lakes today began a new era of working together to meet the challenges of
restoring, protecting and conserving the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.
A Memorandum of Cooperation signed today by provincial ministers and
Ontario representatives of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
(Cities Initiative) commits them to consulting and cooperating on issues of
municipal interest and responsibility around the Great Lakes.
Ontario agrees to consider the advice and recommendations of the Great
Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative on implementation of the
Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin (COA). The Cities
Initiative agrees to involve its Ontario members and the broader municipal
sector in providing input into decisions that affect the municipalities around
the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational
coalition of over 50 mayors and other municipal officials from Canada and the
U.S. interested in the health and well-being of the Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence River system.
The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed by John Gerretsen, Minister of
the Environment, Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources and Leona
Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The three
ministers are also Ontario's signatories to COA.
Signing on behalf of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities initiative
was Mayor Lynn Peterson of Thunder Bay, Chair of the Cities Initiative. The
signing took place at the annual conference of the Cities Initiative, in
Toronto, Ontario.
QUOTES
Environment Minister John Gerretsen:
"Today we formally recognize the importance of engaging municipalities as
key partners in sustaining the health and vitality of the Great Lakes for our
benefit, but also for our children and future generations."
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield:
"The signing of this memorandum marks the beginning of an exciting new
era of collaboration among municipal, provincial and federal governments to
address the challenges affecting the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem and help us
safeguard this precious natural resource for future generations."
OMAFRA Minister Leona Dombrowsky:
"This agreement reinforces the collaborative approach of the Government
of Ontario in carrying out its commitments under the Canada-Ontario Agreement.
Our rural and urban municipalities have a vital interest in the Great Lakes
and through this memorandum will play an even larger role in helping us
protect and restore them."
Mayor Lynn Peterson of Thunder Bay
Chair, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative:
"By signing this agreement today, we are ensuring that our joint efforts
to protect the Great Lakes, provincially and locally, will have the greatest
positive impact for our communities. The Cities Initiative looks forward to
working closely with Ontario municipalities and the Ontario Government on
future Great Lakes decisions."
Toronto Mayor David Miller
Founding Canadian Chair, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative:
"This memorandum of cooperation represents the beginning of an important
strategic partnership between the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities
Initiative, Ontario Great Lakes municipalities and the Ontario Government",
said Toronto Mayor David Miller, "From Nipigon in the North to Toronto in the
South, Ontario municipalities are investing over $2 billion to protect the
Great Lakes every year."
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QUICK FACTS
- Ninety-eight per cent of Ontarians live within the Great Lakes Basin
ecosystem and the watersheds that drain into the Great Lakes. They
depend on the Great Lakes for drinking water, food production, power
generation and recreation.
- The current COA, signed with the federal government in 2007, runs to
2010. COA commits the Canadian and Ontario governments to coordinate
resources and funding and to work with organizations and citizens to
restore and protect the lakes and the biodiversity of the Great Lakes
Basin.
- A recent Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative-Great Lakes
Commission study estimates that local governments around the Great
Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin in Canada and the U.S. invest
$15 billion annually in infrastructure and programs to protect the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
LEARN MORE
About the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
www.glslcities.org
About The Canada Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin
Ecosystem
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/water/greatlakes/coa/index.php
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ontario.ca/environment-news
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www.glslcities.org
FACT SHEET
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Ontario and Great Lakes municipalities committed to cooperation
TORONTO - The Memorandum of Cooperation signed today by three Ontario
cabinet ministers and Ontario members of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Cities Initiative commits the provincial government and municipalities to work
closely on issues affecting the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.
The Memorandum of Cooperation:
- Commits Ontario to receiving and considering advice and
recommendations from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities
Initiative (Cities Initiative) on issues of municipal interest and
responsibility in future plans and approaches to the Great Lakes
Basin ecosystem under the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the
Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA).
- Commits the Cities Initiative to working together with Ontario to
develop mechanisms to engage the Ontario members of the Cities
Initiative, as well as the broader Ontario municipal sector and
providing information, advice and recommendations to Ontario
regarding the COA.
- Runs until March 31, 2010, coinciding with the life of the current
COA. It also commits the parties to considering ongoing
communications and cooperation beyond 2010.
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The COA commits Ontario and Canada to reducing pollutants, cleaning up
degraded hotspots (Areas of Concern), preserving and restoring fish and
wildlife habitat, and conserving the tremendous biodiversity of the Great
Lakes Basin ecosystem by protecting and restoring coastal wetlands and
reducing the threat of aquatic invasive species.
Included among the areas of the 2007 COA that affect municipalities is an
Ontario commitment to work at reducing contaminants entering the Great Lakes
from municipal sewage treatment plants, combined sewer overflows and
stormwater. Ontario will also work with the federal government to develop an
agreement to implement proposed federal wastewater effluent regulations and
finalize a national strategy for wastewater.
The 2007 COA - the seventh agreement since 1971 - came into effect on
June 25, 2007. It includes two important new areas for action - studying the
impacts of climate change and protecting the Great Lakes as a source of
drinking water. COA also assists the federal government in meeting its
commitments under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
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For further information: Holly Wilson, Minister's Office, (416) 314-6739; John Steele, Communications Branch, (416) 314-6666; Nicola Crawhall, Deputy Director, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, (416) 432-2739
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