Leaders at a Great Lakes summit that’s wrapping up Sunday are promising to stop Asian carp from entering the lakes and to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Erie.
The three-day Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors' and Premiers' 2019 Leadership Summit in Milwaukee also saw leaders promise to address drinking water contaminants like lead and perfluoroalkyl in the lakes.
Ontario’s Environment Minister Rod Phillips says there has been a commitment to protect and restore the Great Lakes, while growing the region’s economy.
“The Great Lakes, along with our inland waterways, are the life support system for our province and our people,” he says.
“They are the foundation of Ontario's prosperity and wellbeing - supplying water to our communities, supporting Ontario's economy, and providing healthy ecosystems that support recreation and tourism as well as biodiversity and fisheries.”
Ontario held joint meetings with several U.S. Great Lakes states and Québec as well as bilateral meetings with New York, Québec, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Ontario, Ohio and Michigan have pledged to reduce phosphorus entering Lake Erie's Western Basin by 40 per cent by 2025.
