Lake Simcoe Watch wants to ensure a healthy future for nature and people living around Lake Simcoe.  We believe the following actions are critical to saving our lake.

• Developing and implementing a plan to reduce phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2030. Reducing phosphorus loads is essential to protect our cold water fishery (e.g., lake trout and whitefish) and to reduce toxic blue green algae blooms and other noxious plant growth in the lake.
• Ensuring that at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows.  This natural cover is critical for filtering the water that flows into the lake and as habitat for wildlife.  It also provides important recreational opportunities for both residents and visitors.
• Requiring the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to listen to the public when it comes to applications to destroy wetlands or other natural habitat.  Listening only to developers on these vital issues leads to poor decision making.
• Amending  the Development Charges Act to allow municipalities to recover 100% of their additional infrastructure costs to service new residential and commercial projects from their developers.  For too long, average taxpayers have been subsidizing new development.  It is time to make growth pay for growth.

Municipal Election

We asked the candidates in the 2022 municipal election if they believe that Lake Simcoe’s municipalities should formally request that the Government of Ontario fund and implement a plan to reduce the lake’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes per year by 2030. Here are their responses.

Cleaning up Lake Simcoe

Read our plan for cleaning up the lake	Read our summary of responses

Lake Simcoe Watch has released a plan for reducing the lake’s phosphorous loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026.  We think adopting this plan is critical given that Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus pollution has risen by more than 30% since the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan was released in 2009.

Read our plan 

Polling shows Lake Simcoe residents support action to improve lake health, while almost half oppose Holland Marsh Highway and only a minority support; Full polling results.