Barrie Candidates

Background Information

In 2009 the Government of Ontario released its Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, which called for Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to be reduced by 50% to 44 tonnes a year. According to the Plan, this is the reduction in pollution that is needed to protect the lake’s cold-water fishery and to prevent excessive weed growth and algae blooms.

However, the Government of Ontario has not funded or implemented a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes a year. Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution has instead gone up by 30% since 2009. (To learn more about how we can reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes a year, please read our Cleaning-Up Lake Simcoe report.)

Responses to the question:

Do you believe that Lake Simcoe’s municipalities should formally request that the Government of Ontario promptly fund and implement a plan to reduce Lake Simcoe’s phosphorous pollution to 44 tonnes a year by 2030?

Mayor

Gerry Marshall

Yes

My thoughts on action required over the next council term.
1 – Align with municipalities that share our Lake to ensure that as mayors we speak with one voice. While a mayor has a strong platform from which to speak, multiple mayors speaking as one on Lake Simcoe protection issues amplifies the message.
2 – Given the Hwy 404 link is going to be built, we need to ensure Minister Mulroney and her staff complete and meet the pre-construction environmental and mitigation commitments made.
3 – Hold the Provincial Conservatives accountable to follow the Lake Simcoe Protection legislation.
4- Work with our Members of Parliament to hold the Federal Liberals to their Lake Simcoe protection and funding election promises.
5 – From a city perspective ensure we make decisions that consider the impact they may have on our climate, environment, and lake. To be more specific I am speaking of municipal efforts related to items such as climate mitigation, green energy conversion and reducing our runoff particularly salt and phosphorus.

Alex Nuttall

Yes

Our lake is our greatest asset, and we need to protect it at all costs. Going forward, and certainly when I’m elected Mayor of Barrie I’m prepared to work alongside the City of Barrie, and Natural Resources to implement a plan to ensure that Lake Simcoe continues to provide safe four-season recreation for local residents, and an inviting environment for our wildlife.

Barry Ward

Yes

There are many things municipalities can do but provincial funding is needed. For example, Barrie has a long-term plan to upgrade our stormwater management ponds but it is very expensive, meaning we can only do one or two per year because of all our other spending priorities. Provincial funding would allow us to speed up the process.

Weldon Hachey

Undecided

I need to read up and educate myself on anything before I can make an educated decision. It’s very obvious we need to protect our water and our lands. When I get in I would like to speak to the experts and find out the best solution.

Andrew Gordon

Undecided

I would need more information on this to make an informed decision. Such as how we can reduce the phosphorus. How much it would cost to reduce the levels, and maintain that reduction. The impact on the industries in the area, how many jobs or businesses would be effected. The environment is very important and we must take care of it at all costs.

Deputy Mayor

No candidates have responded yet.

Regional Councillor

No candidates have responded yet.

Councillor

Norm Costello

Yes

Ken Lloyd

Yes

Shanicka Edwards

Yes

Our Waterfront is among the most beautiful in the province. Our bodies of water deserve the best treatment and care. We should absolutely support funding to implement the plan to reduce Lake Simcoe pollution.

Michael Lewis

Yes

I remember seeing Chrystia Freeland coming to Barrie during the last Federal election promising millions of dollars towards keeping Lake Simcoe clean. Whether ahe has delivered on that promise I have no idea. I agree that every municipality on Lake Simcoe should request thier share of said funds.

John Webb – Webb4Ward8

Undecided

I am always hesitant to answer these types of questionnaire, because any answers you get from everyone will be crap. That is why i clicked “undecided”, it is a loaded question. What you are really asking is will I work with your group to keep what we have here safe, clean, and the best it can be? The answer is yes, yes I want to keep Lake Simcoe beautiful. As a business owner in Barrie for the last 16+ years, I can understand the work/life balance in our beautiful environment. As someone who was a judge for planning for 12 years, I know SMART planning must include the environment, the surrounding areas. As someone who just finished 6 years as the Vice President of the tourism board, I understand the revenue the environment brings us in this area. I was not born in Barrie, I choose to live here in large part because of the beauty up here. I am not going to lie to you for your vote, I will work with you to keep what we have beautiful, a vote for me is a vote for someone who will work with you, and that is the truth. I hope I can count on your support.

Amy Courser

Yes

Joy Douglas

Yes

I am unequivocally in favour of requesting the funding and implementation of plans to deal with the major challenges that are threatening Lake Simcoe, including climate change, phosphorus pollution and invasive species. In the 2022-23 federal budget, government allocated 19.6 million for the Freshwater Action fund to support clean up efforts and we must ensure that Simcoe County residents and their governments are informed, invested and watching to that make sure Lake Simcoe gets it’s fair share of funding.

Donald Mclaurin

Undecided

Bryn Hamilton

Yes

Adam Wilcox

Yes

One of the main reasons people love Barrie is because of our beach along Lake Simcoe. I agree that we need to reduce phosphorus and protect our lake. I was informed of these about a year ago in my Stormwater Management course at Georgian College. Thanks for keeping it fresh in my mind.

William Rome

Yes

Clean Lakes, good environment will always have my support.

Nigussie Nigussie

Yes

Steven Mirtsos

Undecided

Ann-Marie Kungl

Yes

Thank you for providing the important Cleaning-Up Lake Simcoe report. It would be wonderful if this was again circulated to all Clerks to share with members of the new term of Council.

Sergio Morales

Yes

I was the Barrie City Councillor that introduced the notion that called for the city of Barrie to support federal funding for a Lake Simcoe restoration fund, representing a significant % of the Freshwater Action Plan Fund.

Source:

https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/barrie-council-will-consider-calling-on-feds-for-lake-simcoe-funding-5227198

Ryan Rijo

Yes

When it comes to the health of Lake Simcoe, I believe that it is of utmost importance to sustain and better Kempenfelt Bay and Lake Simcoe as a whole. In regards to the question I believe that is our duty as a Municipality to request help and funding from other levels of government to sustain the lake’s ecosystem. Lake Simcoe is not only enjoyed by local residents, but also many tourists from all over Ontario. The fact that the lake is so popular for beaches, sandbars, boating, and fishing we need all need to take responsibility and work together to ensure that the lake is healthy for years to come.

Norm Costello

Yes

Tif Arshi

Yes

Lake simcoe provides our drinking water as well as being a natural tourist attraction. This brings in much needed tourist dollars to our city and local businesses. Any harm to our water and fisheries industry requires our focus and attention.

Craig Nixon

Undecided

Allan Bray

Yes

Provincial government funding is part of the answer, but the meat of the plan will ultimately determine the outcome. With this in mind I would expect the plan to include legislation to address phosphorous loading at the source, in addition to financial incentives. Incentive structures by themselves can be cut in the future, effectively rolling back any improvements. But paired with legislation, the change should be permanent.

Andre Jmourko

Yes

Dieter Mueller

Undecided

It would be nice to know what the current phosphorous loading is.

Here in Barrie, one of the pollutants entering the lake is harmful ASBESTOS fibres from up to 100 streets paved with ASBESTOS-Asphalt mix. Asbestos has the ability of irreparibly harming the fish in Lake Simcoe.

Then there’s Sodium Chloride aka SALT. This too needs to be seriously controlled.

Also, given the explosive growth in urbanization along the shores of Lake Simcoe from Orillia down and around to Keswick, would it not make sense to corral all that new surface runoff into holding ponds and clean out pollutants such as phosphorus and other pollutants? I think so.

Ajmal Noushahi

Undecided

Sharon Doran

Yes

Tracy Strohm

Yes

We need to go further than this and encourage the inclusion of grey water recycling systems within all new developments and rebuilds.

Constance Elliott

Yes

Clare Riepma

Yes

Bob Ossowski

Undecided

I chose undecided. I did read the discussion paper and I did find it informative. After reading it I would like to see the municipalities act along with the conservation authority to come up with a lower cost plan and a strategy to implement it. We could then ask the province for additional funding. Rain barrels, cisterns, road sweeping, bioswalesm stream bank rehabilitation all would be a great start. Municipalites should work to eliminate septic systems near lakes, rivers and streams. The cost could be amortized over a long period to lessen the impact on property owners.

Craig Nixon

Undecided