Proposed new Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health

The Great Lakes are the foundation of Ontario’s economic prosperity and well-being – supplying water to our communities, providing healthy ecosystems for plant and animal life, sustaining traditional activities of Indigenous communities and supporting our recreation and tourism industries.

The Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA) represents a significant partnership between the federal and provincial governments, setting out joint actions and specific actions that each government will take as we work together to protect and restore the water quality and ecosystem health of the Great Lakes.

The Government of Ontario, represented by the Ministries of Environment, Conservation and Parks; Natural Resources and Forestry; and Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; signed and entered into the ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement with the Government of Canada. The term of the Agreement is from June 1, 2021 until May 31, 2026. This Agreement marks 50 years of collaborative Great Lakes work between both governments since the first agreement was signed in 1971.

The ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement continues to build on Great Lakes restoration progress. Commitments in the Agreement will advance new and ongoing actions to address a number of key areas, such as:

• improving wastewater and stormwater management
• reducing plastic pollution and excess road salt entering waterways
• reducing excess nutrients and continuing partnerships for Lake Erie restoration
• completing the clean-up of six Areas of Concern
• investing in the prevention and management of priority invasive species
• rehabilitating native species and their habitats
• maintaining inventories of key habitats including coastal areas
• increasing climate resilience
• undertaking meaningful local action

Ensuring the ongoing protection of our Great Lakes and water resources is a key commitment in our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan that will help keep these vital waterways safeguarded for future generations.

The ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement

The ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement is made up of a framework agreement and 13 Annexes.

The framework agreement describes the purpose, principles and administration of the Canada-Ontario Agreement. The Agreement is overseen by the Canada-Ontario Agreement Executive Committee, consisting of senior representatives from the ministries, departments and agencies of the Parties who are responsible for commitments in the Agreement. The ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement has a strengthened framework agreement to improve accountability and governance mechanisms that achieves a streamlined governance approach and reduces bureaucracy.

The 13 Annexes in the Agreement are:

Protecting Waters

Annex 1: Nutrients
Annex 2: Harmful Pollutants
Annex 3: Wastewater and Stormwater
Annex 4: Discharges from Vessels

Improving Coastal Areas

Annex 5: Areas of Concern
Annex 6: Lakewide Management

Protecting Habitat and Species

Annex 7: Aquatic Invasive Species
Annex 8: Habitat and Species

Enhancing Understanding and Adaptation

Annex 9: Groundwater Quality
Annex 10: Climate Change Impacts and Resilience

Engaging Communities – From Awareness to Action

Annex 11: From Awareness to Action
Annex 12: Métis and the Great Lakes
Annex 13: First Nations and the Great Lakes

Each Annex includes:

• a preamble describing what Canada and Ontario will strive to achieve
• intended results for the Great Lakes specific to each Annex
• commitments Canada and Ontario will deliver jointly or separately to achieve the intended result

Read the ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement and the public summary included in the Related links section below.

Importance of the Agreement

The Great Lakes are the foundation of Ontario’s economic prosperity and well-being. These vital waterways:

• contain nearly 20 per cent of the world’s fresh surface water
• support Ontario’s economy
• supply water to our communities
• provide healthy ecosystems for recreation and tourism
• support outstanding biological diversity and significant fisheries
• sustain traditional activities of First Nation and Métis peoples

Through our collaborative efforts to restore, protect and conserve the Great Lakes, we have made significant improvements over the last 50 years.

Although the Great Lakes have responded well to past protection efforts, our Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health continues to be threatened by pollution, climate change, legacy environmental conditions and loss of natural heritage.

The ninth Canada-Ontario Agreement continues to build on our Great Lakes restoration progress and will advance action to address key challenges facing the Great Lakes, including:

• supporting the implementation of Great Lakes-related commitments in the Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan
• advancing Ontario’s Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015
• aligning with the goals of Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy (2012, currently under review)
• supporting Canada’s commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
• responding to priorities raised by many Great Lakes partners in recent discussions with federal and provincial agencies