'Put the money out in the real world': Bradford, East Gwillimbury, Georgina councils call on feds to deliver funds to help Lake Simcoe

Councillors from watershed communities call on feds to restore and protect Lake Simcoe

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 23, 2023
Aileen Zangouei

Councillors from watershed communities in York Region, Georgina and East Gwillimbury, and Bradford West Gwillimbury are calling on the federal government to deliver on its promise to help the health of Lake Simcoe.

In late January, watershed communities passed motions calling on the federal government to restore and protect Lake Simcoe.

A similar motion was passed last year in Bradford.

In 2022, pressure from municipalities and conservation authorities throughout Ontario’s watershed seemed to have an effect as the federal budget included a $19.6-million funding commitment for the Freshwater Action Fund, which included Lake Simcoe.

"It's in the budget but as far as we are aware, it's just sitting there and so the money isn't actually out in the real world making a difference," said Bradford Ward 2 Coun. Jonathan Scott.

"The motion was passed by all of council, and (Mayor James Leduc) wrote a letter to Minister of Finance (Chrystia Freeland) and Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Steven Guilbeault) to say we really expect that the federal government will deliver this funding

"That it won't just be in the budget but actually go toward more tree planting, and cleaning rivers and streams and shoreline of Lake Simcoe," Scott said.

"It's really effective and also unique to have all the municipalities in this region asking for the same thing, and this, to the best of my knowledge, has never happened before and packs a powerful punch to the government," he said.

The funding is also aimed toward cleaning up contaminated sites -- cleaning up anything that pollutes the lakes.

Georgina Ward 3 Coun. Dave Neeson, said the creation of the Freshwater Action Fund by the federal government was a "welcomed and significant first step, with the inclusion of Lake Simcoe in 2022."

The Freshwater Action Fund, initiated in 2021, was embraced by local councillors because dedicated funding for Lake Simcoe had ended in 2017, with the demise of the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund.

"Watershed resident, environmental non-governmental organizations and concerned members of council are seeking the yet-to-be released funding and criteria details so that we can all work together to ensure for the long term health and sustainability of the lake," Neeson told Yorkregion.com.

"Simply put, we need real action with demonstrable outcomes and we will continue to work with our federal partners to jointly achieve what we all desire.

However, our federal partners need to recognize that time is of the essence," Neeson said.

East Gwillimbury Coun. Scott Crone said that while the government pledged funds, "there have been no details about what is coming."

"I’m irritated to say nothing has been done to date,” he said. “It's really becoming urgent for the conservation authority and the health of the lake to make sure that we get this money.

With the region growing rapidly, and Lake Simcoe being the watershed environment where residents live, work, and play, there's a lot of new pressure on the lake.

"We need it to be healthy for future generations to enjoy, and fisheries, and to be sustainable. It's so linked to the health of our climate, and we know this federal Liberal government says they care about the environment and have done a number of positive things in the environmental areas, but this is one reason they seem to be pretty capable of, just pulling the trigger and getting it done," Scott said.

Longtime Holland Landing resident Bill Foster worries about the health of the lake especially now that the Bradford Bypass is being built on portions of the Greenbelt.

"What blows my mind is that we already have serious problems with Lake Simcoe and the quality of water. (The fish) will be seriously harmed and will not be useful for human use," Foster said.

What the councillors from the watershed communities want is this: "We're basically just saying keep your promises and you have to actually put the money out in the real world," Scott said.