News Release

Canada and Ontario Continue to Improve the Great Lakes

TORONTO, Ontario, March 16, 2007 -The Governments of Canada and Ontario are building on the accomplishments of the current Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) to continue to improve and protect the Great Lakes, their waters and their ecosystem.

To demonstrate this commitment to continued cooperation, Federal Environment Minister John Baird and Ontario Environment Minister Laurel Broten today released a draft COA for 2007-2010 for public comment that commits the two governments to continue to work together in the Great Lakes Basin. 

Specifically, the new agreement will clean up Areas of Concern, eliminate or significantly reduce harmful pollutants and protect and restore the basin's biodiversity.  In addition, two new areas of special focus that will benefit from enhanced cooperative work in the Great Lakes Basin are understanding climate change impacts, and protecting the Great Lakes as a source of drinking water.

"Continuing the cooperative work under the Canada-Ontario Agreement reflects our commitment to pursue practical, results-oriented solutions to reduce pollution and improve the health and well-being of Canadians," said Minister Baird.   "The quality of our water is essential to the economy and the health of our aquatic ecosystems."

"The Great Lakes are a precious and vital resource for millions of people in Ontario and one of the most biologically diverse regions in Canada," said Minister Broten. "This agreement will allow us to continue to deal with the issues facing the Great Lakes, including protecting the aquatic ecosystems and to help us deal with challenges ranging from threats to our drinking water to the impacts of climate change."

The COA will enhance awareness and stewardship of the Great Lakes by promoting greater involvement of COA partners and stakeholders in implementing the agreement and promoting the sustainability of Great Lakes communities. The coordination of monitoring, research and information-sharing will also be improved. 

The current five-year COA expires this year. The renewed three-year COA will contribute to meeting Canada's obligations under the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which is currently under review by both countries. A new COA beyond 2010 would reflect the outcomes of that review.

In the coming weeks, the two governments will look for ways to involve the Canadian Great Lakes community over the next three years in developing a vision for the longer-term future of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.

Both governments are seeking public input on the draft COA.  The deadline for written comments is May 16, 2007.  The Agreement is available onEnvironment Canada's website at: www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/agreements.  It is available through Ontario's Environmental Registry at www.ebr.gov.on.ca under the EBR number 010-0063.  The provincial comment period begins today while the federal government's comment period begins March 17, 2007 when the Notice of Intent is published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.

For more information on COA and the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem please visit: www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakes.

Related Document:

• Canada-Ontario Agreement Shows Renewed Commitment to the Health of the Great Lakes Basin [backgrounder, 2007-03-16]

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