- \n
- $8 million annually for Areas of Concern cleanup, with a focus on habitat and addressing stormwater\/wastewater under the Great Lakes Action Plan (GLAP);<\/li>\n
- Nearly $48.9 million over 14 years from 2007 to 2021, also for sediment remediation in AOCs;<\/li>\n
- $4 million per year from 2012 to 2016 under the Great Lakes Nutrient Initiative (GLNI) to reduce harmful algal blooms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Still, with much remaining to be accomplished, many north of the border looked longingly south of the border at the success of the U.S.\u2019s GLRI.<\/p>\n
Things changed suddenly (\u201csuddenly,\u201d after years of organized work by\u00a0Member of Parliament Vance Badawey<\/a>\u00a0and others) in March 2023, when President Joseph Biden visited Ottawa, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced\u00a0$42 million per year over 10 years<\/a>\u00a0(about $306 in U.S. dollars).<\/p>\n
Little is known about what the funding will be used for, though more attention to climate change, microplastics, and \u201cforever chemicals\u201d such as PFAS, is possible. So little is known, in fact, that an official name for the program didn\u2019t even accompany the announcement.<\/p>\n
More likely, though, is that the new program will align to some degree with the\u00a02020-2030 Action Plan to Protect the Great Lakes<\/a>\u00a0that Canadian stakeholders published, which outlines priorities such as protecting shorelines, beaches, water quality (especially from threats posed by agricultural runoff), and public health (from the threat of toxic pollution).<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no doubt that $42 million per year will be a big boost to Great Lakes and St. Lawrence protection efforts. But even those investments will have to be prioritized for the funding to make a discernible impact. Given the need for progress in cleaning up\u00a0Canada\u2019s 12 remaining domestic and shared Areas of Concern<\/a>, (some have already been delisted and some are \u201careas in recovery\u201d), and seemingly intractable toxic algae problems, it\u2019s likely that Canada will put even more effort into tackling these two needs.<\/p>\n
As a spending plan heads to the Canadian Treasury Board this fall, we could come to understand more specifics as the Canadian federal government gears up for projects to begin in 2024 or beyond.<\/p>\n
Like the GLRI\u2019s political headwinds in Washington, D.C., the new Canadian program will have its own rapids to navigate, not the least of which will be getting a significant new program up and running then, after its first year, making good on 9 more years of funding commitments with federal elections on the horizon, and the potential for shifting priorities.<\/p>\n
Stay in touch to learn more<\/a>\u00a0as the story of U.S. and Canada investments, and what they could mean for you, unfold in the coming months and years.<\/p>\n
This is article five<\/a>\u00a0of a five-part series on the Great Lakes originally published by GEI Consultants and is re-published here with permission.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
Author: Cam Davis<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Vice President, GEI<\/strong><\/p>\n
CGLR\u2019s business and sustainability network programming is supported by the\u00a0Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation<\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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