I am commenting on the…

I am commenting on the proposal for an interim combined sewer to support development at 955 Lake Shore Boulevard (Ontario Place). I am strenuously opposed to the proposal, as it goes against decades of work by the City of Toronto to separate and replace combined sewers across the city to prevent the discharge of raw sewage into Lake Ontario. The proposal also flies in the face of international agreements to protect water quality and habitat in the Great Lakes. This effluent also risks human health in terms of water quality at beaches, fishing, rowing and other watersports, and the quality of the lake as an attraction for Canadian and international visitors.

Equally troubling, the province has not held public consultations about this work. The proposal to benefit private sector initiatives is not in the public interests, and threatens the stability of the lake ecosystem in a time of severe biodiversity loss.

As a Toronto resident who takes pride in our waterfront, who enjoys swimming and rowing on the lake -- including the "bubble" between the shore and breakwall where the sewage will be redirected -- and as a person concerned with the detrimental environmental impact of this proposal and the larger plan for Ontario Place, I urge you to deny this permit.