Notification of the Minister’s 10-Year Report on Lake Simcoe

The Ontario government is committed to protecting and restoring Ontario’s water resources, including Lake Simcoe and its watershed, as outlined in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan.

The Lake Simcoe Protection Act and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan provide a framework for Ontario and its partners to work together to improve and protect the health of the Lake Simcoe watershed, which contains natural, urban and agricultural systems that are vital to the region and Ontario.

The minister is required under Section 12 of the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, 2008, to prepare a public report every five years on:

• the results of Lake Simcoe monitoring programs
• the progress towards the Act’s objectives

The minister is also required to prepare and release a public report annually on the implementation of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, with a summary of advice the minister received from two advisory committees.

As 2019 marked the 10th year of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, the ministry released a consolidated 10-year Report on Lake Simcoe that addresses both reporting requirements under the Lake Simcoe Protection Act, 2008.

The 10-year report highlights some of the progress made by the ministry and its partners to protect and restore Lake Simcoe. Together we have:

• restored more than 15 kilometres of degraded shorelines; planted more than 55,000 trees and shrubs; created or restored 120 hectares of wetlands; and repaired or replaced more than 160 failed septic systems
• reduced phosphorus loads from sewage treatment plants by 50 per cent since 2009
• improved dissolved oxygen levels in the lake’s deep waters, which will help support a self-sustaining cold-water fish community
• continued signs of naturally reproducing cold-water species such as lake trout, lake whitefish and cisco – a positive step towards restoring and sustaining a cold-water fish community

We will build on these successes as we continue to take action to protect and restore the lake.

To view the full report, follow the link in this notice under Supporting Materials.