The Blue Mountains is the first municipal council to endorse a new plan to protect the Great Lakes.
Mayor Ellen Anderson and CAO Paul Graham are part of a team of Ontario municipal officials working to develop an action plan.
The plan is entitled — At The Shoreline: A Mayor’s Collaborative Action Plan to Protect the Great Lakes.
It was endorsed by Mayors of Ontario’s Great Lakes municipalities and presented to the provincial government in May at a Great Lakes Summit.
Graham says the Blue Mountains is the first municipality to have the report formally supported by the entire council.
The report notes municipalities around the lakes on both sides of the Canada U-S border invest a total of 15 billion dollars a year to protect and restore the lakes.
That’s a bigger financial commitment than either the Canadian or U.S. government or any of the provincial or state governments.
The plan calls for collaborative action by all levels of government to tackle long standing issues affecting the Great Lakes.
Those include severe algae growth, beach closures, and untreated sewage and storm waters entering the lakes.
It also urges that an economic study be done to build a strong business case for private and public investment to protect the lakes.