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Conservative MPs 'skeptical and cynical' of feds' funding for Lake Simcoe

Area MPs worry Lake Simcoe won't get the attention it needs; 'We still would like to see more,' MP says of funding commitment

While “any funding is good funding,” local MPs say much more is needed to help restore the health of Lake Simcoe.

Following Thursday’s federal budget, which included a $19.6-million funding commitment in 2022-23 for a Freshwater Action Fund, including Lake Simcoe, Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley said while he and fellow Conservative MPs aren’t going to say no to any funding that’s going to help a local cause that’s so important to the region, it’s a far cry from what is needed. 

“We, as a group of MPs from Simcoe County, are very aware of the situation of Lake Simcoe and how imperative it is to our environment around here. We’ve been calling for a full reinstatement of the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund, which has not occurred since the Liberals stopped it,” he said. “Yes, any funding is good funding, but we still would like to see more, and still need to do more work to keep Lake Simcoe the great gem that it is.”

Shipley added that although he believes Lake Simcoe is on the right track in terms of its health, more resources are needed before that can occur

“With the growth in the area over the next couple of years, there’s going to be more pressure put on it. We just have to make sure that we are good stewards of the great gift we’ve been given,” he said.

“It’s important to the area, it’s important to the environment and we need to make sure we keep it clean so it can be enjoyed for generations to come. My children and their children should be able to use it as it once was as a pristine body of water … We need a good, big hand by the federal government to realize the priority that it is and put it in the rightful place and make sure it’s taken care of.”

Fellow Conservative MP for Barrie-Innisfil, John Brassard, agreed, saying he is “skeptical and cynical” following this week’s funding announcement.

“Sure, it’s great they included Lake Simcoe, but that number is going to be far less than what should have been committed specifically to Lake Simcoe,” he said.

“It’s a far cry from what was committed in 2019 … when (Finance) Minister (Chrystia) Freeland stood and committed $40 million specifically for the Lake Simcoe fund. The $19.6 (million) is going to be divvied up (and) I don’t even know what formula they’re going to use to divide it or how much is going to actually specifically targeted to Lake Simcoe … but it’s going to be much less than the $65 million Clean-Up Fund the Conservatives had in place from 2007-2017.”

Being one of seven lakes or waterways the funds will be directed to, he continued, means Lake Simcoe will see “much less” than the $40 million the Liberal government promised prior to the 2019 election.

“They have yet to live up to that commitment. In fact, a week after the election in 2019, all of the area MPs wrote a letter to Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau and to this date we haven’t seen it,” he said.

“This announcement — this $19.6 million split amongst all of these rivers and lakes across the country — falls way short (of) what that original commitment was. Lake Simcoe needs, and the stakeholders need, a targeted investment, similar to what existed under the Conservative plan from 2007 to 2017 and this doesn’t do that.”

Brassard said although there are some who are championing and praising the investment, he doesn’t believe it’s all it’s being made out to be.

“Without the context of what the funding formula is going to be looking like, and the fact we are going to have to compete with all of these other lakes and rivers that have been identified as part of this funding commitment, Lake Simcoe will once again be left far behind,” he said.

The $19.6 million commitment — which has been allocated toward the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Winnipeg, Lake of the Woods, the Fraser River, the Saint John River, and the Mackenzie River — is unlikely to result in any meaningful investment that will protect and restore Lake Simcoe, said York-Simcoe MP Scot Davidson.

“Unfortunately, after years of broken promises, this underinvestment proves once again that protecting Lake Simcoe just isn't a priority for Justin Trudeau's Liberal government or his NDP coalition partners, and is just another reason why Budget 2022 is a massive letdown for all York-Simcoe residents,” he said.

Simcoe North MP Adam Chambers echoed his Conservative colleagues’ concerns.

“Any time our region is mentioned in a budget is welcome news. However, the $20 million will be spread quite thin among a very long list of recipients … so we need many more details,” he said. “Unfortunately, the government has a reputation of making announcements and not delivering, so we have our work cut out for us to ensure Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay are well represented, (and) to also press for funding for other fresh waterways including the Trent-Severn and Lake Couchiching.”

Between 2007 and 2017, noted Brassard, there were measurable improvements to Lake Simcoe, thanks to assistance from the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund.

“Much of the funding that was allocated was to stakeholder groups such as conservation authorities, so there was shoreline restoration work that was being done,” he said, adding there was also a marked improvement in phosphorus loads in Lake Simcoe during that decade.

“Without that funding for the last four years, there’s been increasing concern about the health, viability and sustainability of Lake Simcoe as it relates not just to phosphorus loads but also the level of invasive species that are coming into the lake as well. Without any sustainable funding, it’s hard to target measures that help reduce phosphorus.”


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About the Author: Nikki Cole

Nikki Cole has been a community issues reporter for BarrieToday since February, 2021
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