Lake Simcoe Watch is sharing some of the responses received from government officials to its provincial election questionnaire about the health of Lake Simcoe.
There were four questions posed to all Ontario political party leaders, on how they plan to help reduce phosphorus into Lake Simcoe.
According to the Ontario Government's Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, released in 2009, the goal is to have Lake Simcoe's phosphorus pollution reduced by 50 per cent to 44 tonnes a year, which is needed to protect the cold-water fishery and to prevent excessive weed growth and algae blooms.
However, according to the Lake Simcoe Watch newsletter, The Government of Ontario has not funded or implemented a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes a year and noted that Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution has gone up by 30 per cent since 2009.
However, Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin points to two large storm events in 2017 that were partially to blame for the increase.
"Phosphorous did rise in 2013-2017 over the previous five-year average (2010-2014) of 85.5 tonnes per year, partly driven by the two large storm events in 2017. More frequent and intense storm events are causing more water to move through the system and result in more phosphorus transported to the lake, as was seen in 2008, 2013 and 2017," she said. "Despite this, there have been encouraging signs of recovery in the Lake Simcoe ecosystem, indicating that ongoing remedial efforts continue to be effective. Spring phosphorus concentrations in the open waters of the lake have decreased since the 1980s, and deep water dissolved oxygen has increased over the long term."
She noted that the five-year average phosphorus load to Lake Simcoe is lower now than it was during the early 1990s when it was consistently well over 100 tonnes.
One of the ways in which local politicians have planned to address the issue is with the Holland Marsh Phosphorus Recycling Facility project.
The proposed facility will reduce phosphorus runoff from the Holland Marsh basin into the Holland River and Lake Simcoe by up to 85 per cent, removing an estimated 2.5 tonnes per year.
The facility is proposed by York Region to be built on the Holland River between Bradford and King. The federal government has committed up to $16 million of the $40-million price tag to fund the project.
But the project is currently on hold because York Region included it in the Upper York Sewage Solution scheme, which the province has paused indefinitely.
Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and Ontario Liberal Party Leader Steven Del Duca have expressed support for funding and implementing a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes per year. The Greens say they will achieve this by 2026 and the Liberals say they will hit the target by 2030.
Both leaders agree the provincial and federal governments need to work together to have the plant built as soon as possible.
“The Holland Marsh pollution reduction plant is an important infrastructure project to implement to reduce phosphorus loads…An Ontario Liberal government will work to reduce phosphorus loads to align with a science-first approach in the management of Lake Simcoe through the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, and ensure the water is swimmable, drinkable and fishable for generations to come. We will also work to make the communities in its watershed more sustainable and resilient to climate change. For instance, investing in engineered and nature-based solutions to stormwater control, such as stormwater ponds, can help reduce phosphorus loads and mitigate the threat of floods during extreme rainfall," said Del Duca.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath also showed her support for funding the plant in her response to the Lake Simcoe Watch survey.
“An NDP government will fund and implement a proper plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes a year by 2030. The NDP supports the construction of this phosphorous treatment facility," she said.
"Our government is committed to reducing phosphorus pollution in the lake’s watershed," York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney said in a meeting with the Environment Minister earlier this fall. "York Region’s commitment to building the phosphorus recycling facility in the marsh should not be delayed by the expert review our government has legislated for the Upper York Sewage Solution, as these are separate projects.
Khanjin has also expressed her support for the project.
"In the last election, the federal government announced that they would give $40 million to help Lake Simcoe, and this project would be perfect for that funding. While we haven’t seen this promised funding, for our part, the province has continued to take action and put up dollars - $4.4 million since 2018-19 with more to follow - to protect the lake," she said.
She says she continues to work alongside the Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks David Piccini to help improve the health of the Lake by promoting environmentally suitable land water uses, activities and development practices; funding projects to reduce the number of pollutants entering the Lake; improving the management of stormwater infrastructure to improve the capacity to reduce flooding and capture phosphorus and other pollutants before entering the lake; monitoring salt concentrations in local waterways; encouraging the implementation of low impact development to reduce urban runoff, and supporting the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority with the implementation of its policy to limit the phosphorus in runoff coming from new housing developments.
"We are committed to monitoring, research and innovation to support the Phosphorus Reduction Strategy, and to continuing to fund infrastructure initiatives in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Beyond this, we have asked the federal government to come through with more infrastructure funding so that we can allocate it for projects just like the phosphorous recycling facility," she said.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Ward 2 Councillor Jonathan Scott is pleased to see so much support from all levels of government for the project, after bringing the motion forward to council in the fall.
In recent months, versions of the motion asking that the project be expedited have passed in Georgina, Innisfil, Brock Township, King Township and East Gwillimbury's environment committee. The facility is also expected to be discussed soon at councils in Barrie and Orillia.
“It’s great to see provincial politicians from all parties saying they support building the phosphorus pollution facility. Municipalities have come together in an unprecedented and united way to call for this facility," he said. "We know we need this recycling facility to protect our river and lake, and all levels of government need to work together to help deliver the funding to get this done.”
