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Making waves By Geoff Peach, Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation Nearly 200 delegates attended the Coastal Centre's "Is the Coast Clear?" conference on May 23, 2008 in Port Elgin. The theme for this year's conference was "Making Waves: current and emerging issues along Lake Huron." The keynote address was provided by Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, who gave a frank assessment of the condition of Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes. The Commissioner identified three key issues surrounding concerns related to the Great Lakes. First, some people get it and some don't. “Some techies, policy makers, municipalities, (and) conservation organizations understand the magnitude of the issues - that’s good,” he said. “But (the Canadian and American) federal governments and Ontario really don’t. Overall, the national commitment is just not there." “The Great Lakes are in critical need of our attention. There are lots of problems, but what they suffer from the most is the lack of our attention,” Miller said. This situation isn't new. The Coastal Centre is marking its tenth anniversary this year. Ten years ago we participated in meetings lead by the State of Michigan on the condition of Lake Huron. Back then, Lake Huron was characterized as the "Forgotten Lake," because of the lack of government commitment to environmental problems around the lake. Ten years later, nothing seems to have changed. Second, the Commissioner noted 'there is no measuring, monitoring or analysis going on. You can't manage something unless you measure it and understand it, but the money has simply been turned off. We don't know what's happening in the Great Lakes overall and, more importantly, we don't know what's coming." It's as if our government's have taken the position that if we don't know what is wrong, we won't need to fund any conservation measures or cleanups. The (provincial) Ministries of the Environment and Natural Resources are "mere shadows of their former selves." Budgets allocated to the environment are smaller today than they were 15 years ago. Third, when it comes right down to it, according to studies, "Environment Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency know little to nothing about the Great Lakes, at least not on an ecological basis." Recent media reports have noted that Environment Canada's spending on the cleanup of Lake Simcoe is more than its spending on all of the Great Lakes combined. The commitment to the Great Lakes is just not there. Although very fortunate to have Joan Klaassen from Environment Canada (Meteorological Service) as one of our speakers during the event, she was alone in representing the federal government. Commissioner Miller remarked that "It's time to make some waves to get some action from governments. People are either very concerned, ambivalent or ignorant about ecological issues. We must work together or we'll all be party to the demise of the Great Lakes." Environmental Commissioner of Ontario - http://www.eco.on.ca/ Make Waves. Let our politicians know that the grassroots people are concerned about Lake Huron and the other Great Lakes, and that we need federal and provincial governments to commit funds to research, restoration and stewardship. Complacency and neglect is no longer tolerable, and passing these problems on to future generations is irresponsible. Send your concerns about Lake Huron to: The Hon. John Baird Minister of the Environment Les Terrasses de la Chaudière 10 Wellington Street, 28th Floor Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3 Email: John.Baird@ec.gc.ca copy to: Mike Goffin Great Lakes and Corporate Affairs, Environment Canada - Ontario 4905 Dufferin Street, Downsview, Ontario, Canada, M3H 5T4 Ph: (416) 739-4936 Fax: (416) 739-4781 E-mail: mike.goffin@ec.gc.ca The Hon. John Gerretsen Minister of the Environment 12th Floor, 135 St. Clair Avenue West Toronto, Ontario M4V 1P5 Ph: (416) 314-6790 Fax: (416) 314-7337 copy to: Carolyn O'Neill Manager - GREAT LAKES 6th Flr 135 St Clair Ave W Toronto ON M4V1P5 Phone: 416-314-7833 Fax: 416-314-3918 Email: carolyn.oneill@ontario.ca
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