The Ontario government announced on Friday that it will invest $581,000 in four new projects that will help to reduce pollutants entering Lake Simcoe.
The province says the projects will build on the “significant progress” that’s already been made regarding the restoration of the lake.
On Friday, the provincial government released a 10-year report on Lake Simcoe, which indicates that the health of the lake is “improving” as a result of actions taken to protect it.
“Ten years ago, local environment and conservation organizations, advocates and all levels of government came together as a community to restore the Lake Simcoe watershed, resulting in the Lake Simcoe Protect Plan,” Jeff Yurek, Ontario’s environment, conservation and parks minister, said in a statement.
According to the report, there have been a number of milestones regarding the restoration of Lake Simcoe that occurred between 2008 and 2017, including the restoration of 15 kilometres of degraded shorelines and the planting of 55,000 trees and shrubs. There have also been 120 hectares of wetlands that have been created or restored.
“The results of the 10-year report are very encouraging, but there is more work to be done,” Andrea Khanjin, Barrie—Innisfil MPP and Yurek’s parliamentary assistant, said in a statement.
“We all have a role to play to restore and protect the lake and I am proud Ontario will continue working to keep Lake Simcoe clean.”
The provincial report also indicates there’s been a 50 per cent reduction in phosphorous from sewage treatment plants entering the Lake Simcoe watershed, decreased amounts of algae and the reproduction of coldwater fish like lake trout, although this is at lower levels than it’s been historically.
In the fall, the government will invite its partners and the public to participate in a 10-year review of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan to see if it needs to be updated.
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