Anti-Fracking And Great Lakes Bills To Committee

Ontarians are fortunate to live in a province that benefits from one of the largest freshwater ecosystems on earth. The health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin is critical to present and future generations.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin provides for the health and well-being of Ontarians. It provides drinking water and supports a variety of fish and other wildlife. Aboriginal communities within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin have important connections to the Basin: First Nations maintain a spiritual and cultural relationship with water and the Basin is a historic location where Métis identity emerged in Ontario. Ontario's economy relies upon the water for electricity generation, agriculture, manufacturing and shipping. Ontarians and visitors enjoy the Great Lakes, Ontario's defining natural features, for the recreational opportunities they provide and natural attractions, such as Niagara Falls.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and in the face of additional cumulative pressures such as development, population growth, loss and degradation of natural features, pollution and invasive species, three of Ontario's four Great Lakes are in decline. Co-ordinated action in and monitoring and reporting with respect to the watersheds, lakes, rivers and coastal areas of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin are needed to respond to the impacts of and improve resilience to those pressures. While many partners are working together to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin to ensure that it provides Ontarians with a source of water that is drinkable, swimmable and fishable, more needs to be done.

All Ontarians have an interest in the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin. The Government of Ontario seeks to involve individuals and communities in its protection and restoration.

Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

PART I

PURPOSES AND INTERPRETATION

Purposes

1. (1) The purposes of this Act are,
(a) to protect and restore the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin; and
(b) to create opportunities for individuals and communities to become involved in the protection and restoration of the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.
Same
(2) The purposes set out in subsection (1) include the following:

1. To protect human health and well-being through the protection and restoration of water quality, hydrologic functions and the ecological health of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin, including through the elimination or reduction of harmful pollutants.
2. To protect and restore watersheds, wetlands, beaches, shorelines and other coastal areas of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.
3. To protect and restore the natural habitats and biodiversity of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.
4. To protect and improve the capacity of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin to respond to the impacts and causes of climate change.
5. To improve understanding and management of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin by advancing science and promoting the consideration of traditional ecological knowledge relating to existing and emerging stressors and by establishing and maintaining monitoring and reporting programs or other actions with respect to the ecological conditions of the Basin.
6. To enrich the quality of life in communities in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin through support of environmentally sustainable economic opportunities, innovation and environmentally sustainable use of natural resources.