Bill to protect and promote North America’s Great Lakes

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

Building on the work of so many over the years to help promote and protect our Great Lakes – on Dec. 11, 2019 – I introduced an Ontario Private Member’s Bill to enhance the promotion and protection of North America’s Great Lakes.

As explained in the proposed legislation, “The Bill amends the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015 to change its title to the Great Lakes Protection and Promotion Act, 2019 and to add the promotion of tourism and other economic activities in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin that respect the ecological health of the Basin as a purpose of the Act.”

Ontario Bill 166, referred to as The Great Lakes Protection and Promotion Act, is a means to an end – to continue to raise awareness of the possibilities and potential of North America’s Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

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My goal is to work to develop a collaborative action plan and framework to serve as a model for all interested Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin agencies, jurisdictions, communities, and governments to promote tourism, recreational activities and sustainable economic growth and development while protecting the pristine environment, ecological diversity, and the scenic, cultural, and historical beauty of North America’s Great Lakes.