Halibuton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock – Lake Simcoe Watch

Jamie Schmale (Conservative)

Question #1: Should the Government of Canada work with the Government of Ontario, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and/or municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings to 44 tonnes per year by 2026?

Yes

I am proud to share that a new Conservative government led by Andrew Scheer will bring back the Lake Simcoe Clean-up Fund. The Conservative Party understands the importance of the Lake Simcoe Clean-up Fund, having implemented the Fund in 2008, which worked to restore fish and wildlife populations, plant trees, and reduce harmful sewage and waste dumps into watersheds - until the Liberals cancelled it.
Our proud legacy in conservation has driven the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund to be dedicated to community-sponsored, science-based projects that will ensure a more sustainable watershed - this includes the reduction of phosphorus levels. As an important piece in the Conservative Party's Real Plan to Protect the Environment, the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund will positively impact the local environment impact the local environment.

Question #2: Should the Government of Canada work with the Government of Ontario, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and/or municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed to ensure that by 2026, at least 40% of Lake Simcoe’s watershed consists of high-quality connected forests, wetlands and meadows?

Yes

Yes, I believe that each level of government must work together to conserve and protect Lake Simcoe. The Conservative Party's $30-million commitment to reinstate the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund will deliver important results for Lake Simcoe and will help to build a healthier watershed for our children. Cancelled by Justin Trudeau's Liberal Government in 2017, the Clean-Up Fund had profound effects on the communities surrounding Lake Simcoe. It assisted local groups in planting over 72,000 grass, trees, and shrubs, stabilised stream and lake banks; and made measurable improvements to quality of Lake Simcoe.

Question #3: The Conservative Party has promised to establish a Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. Other parties have not said specifically how they will clean up the Lake. If you are a Conservative Party candidate, please state by how many tonnes per year the proposed Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund will reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorus loadings by 2026. If you are a candidate with another party, what is your party’s plan for cleaning up the Lake?

The Conservative Party's Real Plan to protect the environment includes reinstating the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. Myself, my colleagues who also serve in ridings surrounding beautiful Lake Simcoe, and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer understand the important of protecting Lake Simcoe. I am proud to share with all of the constituents in HKLB that a Conservative government will commit $30 million over four years to conserve fish and wildlife populations and to reduce phosphorus levels.

Elizabeth Fraser (Green)

Yes

Canadian bodies of water and their watersheds are so important, not only for the health of Canadians, but for the health and vibrancy of the surrounding environments. It is the responsibility of all levels of government to ensure that our freshwater is clean. We must all work together: government, Indigenous Peoples, and interest groups, including the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and industries in the area. If elected, it is my first responsibility to represent the interests and concerns of the people living in my riding. Therefore, I would be committed to reducing the phosphorus loadings in Lake Simcoe to 44 tonnes per year by 2026.

Yes

Not only is it a government's responsibility to not only ensure our natural spaces are free of toxic chemicals, but that they are protected from further damage. Part of the Green Party's commitment to a clean Canada is protecting 30% of freshwaters, oceans, and land by 2030, which I would make sure includes Lake Simcoe and its surrounding forests, wetlands, and meadows. We must look at our bodies of water as part of a bigger picture and ensure that the areas around it are managed with the same level of stewardship. This must also be a collaborative approach and I commit to working with all levels of government, Indigenous Peoples, and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to best connect and protect these areas.

Please see below:

Although the Green Party at this time does not have a dedicated fund for the clean up of Lake Simcoe, I am committed to working with all provincial and munincipal governments, as well as Indigenous Peoples and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority to find the best solutions to this environmental problem. This will not be addressed through one course of action. We must invest in the proper clean up of Lake Simcoe, but we must also address the cause of the pollution and work with identified polluters to end their damaging practices. All of this must be achieved while ensuring there is no further damage or pollution. By working with all interested and invested groups, we can find the best solutions that will have long lasting results. I am committed to doing so.

Judi Forbes (Liberal)

Yes

Living on Lake Simcoe, I am more than sensitive to the Lake issues. The evidence of degradation is in our backyards and on our beaches. No resource is more important to us than fresh, clean water – our lives and livelihoods depend on it.

While the federal government only has jurisdiction over waters and oceans on our borders, when re-elected, a Liberal government will invest in fresh water management, in collaboration with all levels of government, indigenous people, scientists, and local activists. The Liberal Plan is to create a new Canada Water Agency to reduce current confusion across ministries and to guard our fresh water assets. The mandate of this agency is to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well-managed, working with our communities. If elected as your MP, I can assist to make sure Lake Simcoe issues are on the top of that Agenda.

I also know that the ban already announced on single use plastics, when added to the existing ban on micro plastics, will also greatly help preserve our water, wildlife, and beaches on Lake Simcoe.

Yes

Assisting in the development of the watershed also helps us move forward on our targets to address climate action and achieve zero emissions by 2050. To fight climate change, a re-elected Liberal government has committed $3B to conserve and restore our forests, grasslands, wetlands and agricultural lands. We have also made the largest investment in Canada’s history to conserve our lands and waterways. I am fully committed to collaborate with the Government of Ontario, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed help Lake Simcoe teams benefit from these investments.

The impact of the proposed extensive Liberal investments in reforestation, conservation, green technology, agricultural innovation, and climate action will far exceed the short-term approach for a Lake Simcoe Clean Up Fund currently offered by the Conservatives.

The past program which focused on waste water management is not the issue today. The issue today is phosphates and pollutants affecting our lakes through run off, and the approach the Liberals are proposing to provide scientific-based solutions for agriculture and for climate change will be more effective that the single solution approach defined by the Conservatives.

As a re-elected Liberal government commits to 5-year objectives towards a zero-emission mandate and initiates a Canada Water Agency, agricultural innovation, reforestation programs, and national conservation initiatives, we will be able to collaborate together and identify key investments from many resources to resolve the issues faced on Lake Simcoe and other Canadian Lakes.

Gene Balfour (PPC)

Undecided

I don’t know anything about this issue.

Undecided

I am not familiar this this issue.