Badawey hopes $420M in funding will keep the great in the Great Lakes
Niagara-Centre MP Vance Badawey is eager to get to work, implementing the Great Lakes Action Plan that has been in development for the past few years, with $420 million in federal funding.
Badawey, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence taskforce co-chair, said the 10-year funding commitment - announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during U.S. President Joe Bidens visit to Ottawa, Friday - will be used to address several priorities identified in the lakes.
The bottom line is, we want to clean up the lakes. ... If we don't take care of that fresh water source right now, imagine what will happen 50 to 100 years down the road," Badawey said in an interview, Saturday.
Fresh water is liquid gold. Look what's happening in California with Lake Mead," he said, referring to the reservoir where the water level has fallen by roughly 51 metres in the past few decades.
We can't let that happen, and we have to have enough foresight, enough vision and enough responsibility and respect to ensure the great stays in the Great Lakes."
In Niagara, he said the funding will address issues such as shoreline erosion, shoreline protection, algae blooms, algae toxicity, phosphorus, nutrients, fluctuating water levels.
We want people from Bay Beach to Nickel Beach, to the beaches of Wainfleet and across Niagara to be able to swim those waters without having to be tagged by the health department every week," Badawey said, referring to poor water quality warnings often posted by Niagara Region Public Health.
We want to ensure that our fish are being looked after. ... We want to be sure we're ridding the Great Lakes of invasive species, and that way our fisheries are healthy. The list goes on. From an environmental side, there's no question that it has real attachment to Niagara Region."
He said there are also economic components to plans for the waterway, such as shipping on the internationally recognized strategic trade corridor, or even cruise ships sailing into Port Colborne.
Badawey said binational co-operation is also a key to the economic component of the plans, to ensure we work together so we can strengthen our global trade performance."
In addition to the federal funding, Badawey said there are several ancillary investments that will contribute to the preservation and protection of the Great Lakes and fresh water lakes and streams on both sides of the border.
Part of that is the $43.5 million five-year investment to create a new Canada Water Agency included in the 2022 federal budget.
We're hoping for some money in this year's budget that will augment the $420 million."
Although the new agency - to be launched before the end of the year depending on funding - will have a national scope, Badawey said you can rest assured the lion's share of that will be the Great Lakes because of the size of the body of water that we're dealing with."
The Canada Water Agency quite frankly is going to be the steward of freshwater management across the entire country, including the Great Lakes," he said.
Badawey also acknowledged the efforts of our friends and neighbours on the Canadian and American side of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and all the Great Lakes, who have been working for more dedicated funding for Canada fresh water."
He said their hard work was recognized in the meeting between President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau, with the announcement of $420 million in new funding for our most important natural resource - the fresh water of the Great Lakes."
Allan Benner is a St. Catharines-based reporter with the Standard. Reach him via email: allan.benner@niagaradailies.com