Ontario Seeks Public Input on Plan to Improve and Protect Lake Simcoe

Press Release

BARRIE — The Ontario government is engaging with local partners, Indigenous communities and residents from the Lake Simcoe area to get their input on the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. The plan is the roadmap to improve the lake’s water quality, reduce pollutants such as phosphorus, support sustainable fisheries and address the impacts of invasive species. The feedback received will help determine if the document needs to be amended or updated.

“Thanks to the hard work of local environmental and conservation organizations, advocates and all levels of government, considerable progress has been made to restore Lake Simcoe over the past 10 years,” said Andrea Khanjin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and MPP for Barrie-Innisfil. “While this progress is encouraging, we know the watershed is under increasing pressure as the result of population growth and climate change. That’s why we are inviting all our partners, including the general public to participate in the review of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep the lake beautiful for generations to come.”

Members of the public can take part in the 75-day public review of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan by completing an online public survey between December 18, 2020 and March 3, 2021 and participating in a virtual town hall early in the new year. For more information and other ways to get involved in the review, visit the Protecting Lake Simcoe webpage.

Based on the engagement and the findings from the review, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks will consider making amendments to the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan by the summer of 2021.

Restoring Lake Simcoe and its watershed is a key commitment of the government’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan.

Quick Facts
Since 2009, the province’s actions to protect and restore Lake Simcoe have been guided by the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan.
The province released the 10-year report on Lake Simcoe in July 2020, which highlighted progress towards the government’s commitments and results of monitoring programs.
The province recently invested $581,000 in four new projects to help find better ways to reduce the amount of pollutants and nutrients, such as phosphorus, from entering Lake Simcoe.
Over 450,000 people living in 22 municipalities depend on the Lake Simcoe watershed every day.

Additional Resources
Participate in the 10-year review of Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe 10-Year Report

Protecting Lake Simcoe

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