On behalf of the Ministries of Environment, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food, and Rural Affairs, I am pleased to inform you that Ontario and Canada have completed negotiations of a proposed 8th Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA).
A Policy Proposal Notice has been posted on the Environmental Registry (EBR #011-9290) and is available through the following link:
http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTE5NzYx&statusId=MTc5MTcz&language=en. The public review and comment period will close July 3, 2014.
COA is the principle mechanism through which Ontario and Canada coordinate their work to address their respective and shared commitments to protect the Great Lakes. COA helps implement Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy as well as Canada’s commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA). The first COA was signed in 1971. While the last agreement, the 2007 COA expired June 24, 2012, Ontario and Canada have continued to work together on implementing Great Lakes priorities.
If you require any further information, please contact Ms. Carolyn O’Neill, Manager, Great Lakes Office, Ministry of the Environment, at 416-314-7833 or by e-mail at
carolyn.oneill@ontario.ca.
I look forward to receiving comments from the Great Lakes community on the proposed 8th COA. With this new COA, Ontario is pleased to continue taking action to restore, protect and conserve the Great Lakes.
Sincerely,
Jim Bradley
Minister