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Read the latest stories, updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, and more.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper responds to National Energy Board’s approval of Line 9 decision
We are disappointed by the Board's decision. The NEB could have denied Enbridge’s application or imposed stricter terms and conditions that would better protect the environment, but chose not to take environmental concerns to heart.
Waterkeeper supporters help us beat our fundraising goal for Toronto sewage project
We set a fundraising goal of $10,000. To date, you have helped us raise $17,547. Thank you so much for your support. Your contribution will help Lake Ontario Waterkeeper’s efforts to make it mandatory for the City of Toronto to alert the public when there is a sewage spill.
American Eel needs Ontario's help to recover, Waterkeeper tells province
The Eel was once the most abundant fish in Lake Ontario. It swam from the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda, up the St. Lawrence River, and spent most of its life here before returning to the ocean to spawn.
Because of barriers (dams, causeways) and loss of habitat from development, the Eel has virtually disappeared from our waters.
Under Ontario's endangered species legislation, the Province must develop a recovery strategy. This document was published in 2013 and the public was invited to comment. The province's response is due within 9 months.
Waterkeeper submits formal comment on Toronto Island Airport Expansion
Waterkeeper recommends that the City of Toronto defer its decision to approve the airport expansion. Without environmental assessment, permits, proof that environmental harm will not occur, and adequate public consultation, the City’s permission is premature. The consequences of making a rushed decision are significant and potentially irreversible harm to public resources; those consequences outweigh any perceived private benefits of the project.
Island Airport Expansion is premature, Waterkeeper tells city
Two City of Toronto committees are meeting to review Porter Airline’s island airport expansion proposal. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is appearing before both committees to caution the city against hasty decision-making when the stakes - the future of our waterfront - are so high. Here is the text of our oral submission to the Subcommittee to Review Billy Bishop Airport Consultants Reports.
Our main conclusion is this: decisions made in the name of “convenience” alone can cost the city millions of dollars and significant lost opportunity. Therefore, a decision on the airport expansion requires legal oversight through Environmental Assessments and permit applications. And this is a good thing: following legal processes now can avoid political headaches and costly mistakes later.
Need a Source? Waterkeeper can help you cover the Great Lakes Protection Act hearings
If Queen’s Park is your beat then you know the Great Lakes Protection Act (GLPA) subcommittee hearing happened today. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is enthusiastic about the GLPA and its mission of “drinkable, swimmable, fishable” water. Read Mark Mattson’s full presentation to the Standing Committee.
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