Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015

Under the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015, Conservation Authorities play an important role in helping the Province of Ontario achieve the goals of the act.

The objectives of the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015 are:

• To help fight climate change, reduce harmful algal blooms, protect wetlands and coastal areas
• To monitor and report on lake health, take action on priority issues, build on the Great Lakes Strategy and partnerships with Canada, Quebec, USA and the Great Lakes states
• To report every three years on the ecological conditions within the Great Lakes basin
• To establish a Great Lakes Guardian Council comprised of multiple stakeholders, including Conservation Authorities

Great Lakes Guardians’ Council

Conservation Ontario participated in the inaugural Great Lakes Guardians' Council meeting on March 22, 2016. The Great Lakes Guardians’ Council, established under the Great Lakes Protection Act, 2015, provides a forum to identify and find solutions to Great Lakes challenges, increase our science and consideration of First Nations and Métis communities’ traditional knowledge, and strengthen our shared understanding of the Great Lakes. The council is chaired by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Honourable Glen R. Murray.