For Immediate Release
March 29, 2017
Stand Up For Our Great Lakes: Mayor Crombie and Councillor Tovey
I am proud that my colleagues on Mississauga City Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (Cities Initiative) and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey said today.
The Trump Administration’s first budget calls for the elimination of the GLRI. Since its founding in 2010, the GLRI has funded protection and restoration of the Great Lakes. Mississauga has a 223 kilometer shoreline that runs along Lake Ontario. The Trump Administration also proposes eliminating efforts to control invasive species, particularly Asian Carp, from entering the Great Lakes.
“What we have before us is a united front of municipalities, speaking with one voice, and our message is loud and clear to the Trump Administration and anyone who threatens our local environment: we will stand up, safeguard and fight back to protect the Great Lakes,” Mayor Crombie said.
“The Great Lakes contain 22.5 percent of the world’s fresh water,” added Councillor Tovey. “Mississauga’s waterfront is unique, and a valuable asset. Neighbourhoods like Port Credit are celebrated destinations that people from throughout the Greater Toronto Area and beyond choose to visit and enjoy. The most important work we can accomplish is to protect the Great Lakes for future generations,” Councillor Tovey added.
The resolution, brought forward by Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey, supports the Cities Initiative position requesting the reinstatement of the GLRI and the request for resumption of the Asian Carp Study.
Councillor Tovey represents the Mayor and City of Mississauga on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a coalition of 128 cities from the United States and Canada representing more than 17 million people working together for the long-term protection and restoration of the Great Lakes.
Toronto City Councillor Mark Grimes (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) also brought forward a similar motion about protecting the Great Lakes. Councillor Grimes added “I am privileged to represent a waterfront community in Toronto, and I’m reminded daily of how critical the Great Lakes are to our lives. Municipalities across the Greater Toronto Area are coming together to reaffirm the importance of the GLRI. Today, Toronto City Council voted unanimously to support this important initiative.”
“Water is life,” Mayor Crombie added. “Nearly 40 million people in communities throughout Canada and the United States depend on water from the Great Lakes for their health and wellbeing,” Mayor Crombie said. “Protecting the Great Lakes is also fundamental to ensuring we maintain a strong, resilient and competitive economy that multiple different industries rely on,” Mayor Crombie concluded.
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