Government refuses to act on Lake Simcoe phosphorous levels

Government refuses to act on Lake Simcoe phosphorous levels


York North MPP Julia Munro demanded in the Legislature recently that the provincial government reject a proposal to allow phosphorous levels in Lake Simcoe to increase.

Questioned by Munro during question period, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing refused to rule out an increase, according to a statement issued by Munro's office later in the day.

The Inter-Governmental Action Plan, a planning process set up by the Minister to plan

development in Simcoe County, is recommending a strategy for development that would allow the levels of phosphorus flowing into Lake Simcoe to increase, the statement said.

"The government today has refused to rule out increasing phosphorous levels in Lake Simcoe," Munro remarked. "In doing this it rejected a recommendation from the Conservation Authority not to allow levels to go up."

The government paid the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) $1.5 million to develop the framework that

provides advice on development plans and their impact on Lake Simcoe. LSRCA's concerns about phosphorous were ignored by the government, Munro charged.

"Increased phosphorus levels in Lake Simcoe

would mean continued degradation of the Lake and loss of all the gains made over the last fifteen years," she said. "The government must commit to my constituents that they will not allow phosphorous levels to increase."