Oro-Medonte 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

Randy Greenlaw

Yes

Harry Hughes

Yes

Deputy Mayor

No candidates have responded yet.

Regional Councillor

No candidates have responded yet.

Councillor

Robert Young

Yes

Lori Hutcheson

Yes

Zoe Rowe Watson

Yes

I agree. Lake Simcoe needs to be protected

David Clark

Yes

Protecting our Lake (and all other lakes) for generations to come should be a priority for all levels of government.

Ryan Cardwell

Yes

Mikhaela Beerman

Undecided

Protecting agricultural land, greenspace and water are vital to food security, caring for wildlife, maintaining air quality, farmers’ livelihood, and the local economy. I am committed to environmental protection and promoting sustainability. I previously participated on York University President’s Sustainability Council and contributed to the York University Sustainability Strategy. If elected, I am dedicated to listening, learning and working with active groups in the community who are focused on environmental protection.

Please feel free to email me at mikhaela.b@proton.me if you are a resident of Ward 6, and would like to connect. You can also visit my website beermanforward6.com to learn more!

John Bard

Yes

Rick Schell

Yes

Shawn Scott

Yes

I was part of an adhoc group of Councillors from across the Lake Simcoe watershed that collaborated over funding promises made by the Federal Government in the last two elections. All of us, dubbed the “Lake Simcoe Avengers” by the media, prepared motions calling for that funding. On March 9th 2022 I delivered my motion and it was passed unanimously.

Aided by these motions to all of our provincial and federal representatives, the Federal Government committed 16 million dollars and the Provincial Government 24 million dollars.

Ryan McKnight

Yes

Thank you for your passion to protect Lake Simcoe.