Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy Review

Overview

Ontario is taking action to protect the water, ecosystems and species in the Great Lakes Basin, now and for future generations.

Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy (strategy) sets out the province's priority actions to improve water quality, restore natural features and native species, grow a sustainable economy and support community-led activities to protect the Great Lakes Basin.

The strategy was first released in 2012 and includes initiatives from 17 provincial ministries to further the environmental, social, economic health and well-being of the Great Lakes Basin.

We completed the first review of the strategy between 2018 and 2023, as required under the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015. This review helps ensure our strategy continues to address current and future challenges facing the Great Lakes. The second required review of the strategy will begin by December 17, 2024.

Great Lakes Basin

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River is the largest surface freshwater lake system in the world. Together with the surrounding lands and waterways, they are unique natural features in North America.

For generations, people have relied on the Great Lakes as a source of food, drinking water, transportation and recreational activities.

The Great Lakes region has been and continues to be home to Indigenous peoples. First Nations peoples maintain a strong spiritual and cultural relationship with the Great Lakes and the Basin is an important historic location where Métis identity emerged in Ontario.

The vast resources within the Basin have supported the growth of diverse, natural ecosystems as well as major population centers – and the development of a dynamic economy and trade relationship between Canada and the United States.

Despite their size, in many ways the Great Lakes are fragile ecosystems that are susceptible to the disruption and stress caused by humans. While the world’s climate changes and causes shifts in natural patterns and processes in the environment, it is becoming even more important to understand the impacts, opportunities and challenges these changes bring – and to strengthen our efforts to ensure the Basin is healthy and resilient.

Strategy Review (2018-2023)

The Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015, requires that Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy undergo a review every six years, with the first review required to begin before December 17, 2018.

The ministry conducted the first required review between 2018 and 2023. The review included an assessment of accomplishments in implementing the strategy and sought input from the Great Lakes community, Great Lakes Guardians’ Council, all Great Lakes ministries and First Nations and Métis peoples.

The review found that the strategy is a comprehensive document with many enduring actions that are still relevant and beneficial to the Great Lakes basin today. Many positive actions have taken place including:

• funding for natural infrastructure such as wetlands
• effective collaboration across jurisdictions and organizations
• youth involvement in actions to benefit the Great Lakes Basin

We also heard that sustainable tourism, growth impacts and climate change adaptation are priorities to continue considering. In addition, there are future opportunities to engage youth more actively, ensure equitable access to water and shorelines, share broadly the outcomes of successful projects and initiatives and make sustained and targeted funding available to address gaps and capacities. In addition, we heard the importance of considering all available science, data and information, including traditional ecological knowledge, to inform beneficial actions for the Great Lakes Basin.

Based on the review findings, an amendment of the strategy was not deemed necessary.

Other information

In 2015, the Great Lakes Protection Act was passed into law and set out details for the strategy including:

• content, review and update schedule
• which groups must be engaged in the development and periodic update of the strategy

The act also requires a progress report be prepared on the status and accomplishments of implementing the strategy and other matters under the act:

• the first progress report was released in 2016
• the second progress report was released in 2023