A recent poll released by Great Lakes United shows that Ontarians see the Lakes as vital to our economy and way of life, with nine out of ten saying they are concerned with sewage and toxic pollution contaminating the food chain.

TORONTO, October 2 – While Ontarians may be disheartened at the prospect of solving global warming, a majority feel that improving the health of Canada’s Great Lakes is an attainable goal that will help shield us from the impacts of global warming, like heat and drought.

Great Lakes United released a poll today that explores how Ontarians view the condition of the Great Lakes. With nine out of ten people describing the Great Lakes as vital to our survival and quality of life, Ontarians agree we all have a personal responsibility to leave the Great Lakes in good health for our children.

“Millions of Ontarians and their kids, drink, bathe, and eat food grown with Great Lakes water. They identify with the Lakes and know them as a natural wonder of the world,” said Derek Stack, Executive Director of Great Lakes United. “They know that the cost of healing the ecosystem isn’t getting any cheaper, and they want their children to swim and play on clean beaches and in uncontaminated water.”

With a majority of Ontarians depending on the Great Lakes for daily drinking water, sewage overflow and toxic pollution in the food chain were overwhelmingly the leading concerns. Eight in ten (82%) of respondents are very concerned about sewage pollution and just over three in four (78%) are very concerned about toxic pollution to the food chain.

“Ontarians are looking to our federal and provincial governments for action”, said Stack.

Currently Ontario cities pump billions of litres of untreated sewage into the Great Lakes every year and commitments to clean up the province’s twelve most toxic hotspots (also known as Areas of Concern) have been ignored for decades.

“Ten of Ontario’s twelve internationally recognized toxic hotspots – places like the Niagara River, Hamilton Harbour, and Nipigon Bay – are no cleaner today than 30 years ago,” said Stack, adding, “Ontarians place high priority on funding to clean up toxic pollution in our beaches, rivers and lakes.” Eight in ten (79%) Ontarians say that they support of a federal investment of two billion dollars a year to restore the health of the Lakes.

“There is a real opportunity here for the federal government to capture the interests of urban communities around the Great Lakes,” said Stack.

Recently, Great Lakes United and five other leading environmental groups published the Great Lakes Blueprint, a set of priorities for restoring the health of the Great Lakes.

Among the recommendations, the report calls for the establishment of a federal model sewer by-law, as well as a science-based standard for sewage treatment. The report also calls for established timelines for the clean-up and delisting of Canadian Areas of Concern.

For a complete list of recommendations, see the Great Lakes Blueprint online at www.glu.org.

Great Lakes United is also co-hosting an Ontario Environmental Priorities Debate on Wednesday, October 3 at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto. The debate will span some of the most critical environmental issues of our time, including the Great Lakes.

Methodology

McAllister Opinion Research conducted this poll by telephone using random digit dial from June 26th to July 15th 2007 inclusive to a random sample of Ontarians aged 18+ that is representative of age, gender and region. A random sample of 1000 Ontarians would yield a margin of error of ±3.1%, 19 times out of 20. McAllister Opinion Research is an accredited member of ESOMAR (esomar.org) the international organization for professional researchers. The firm conducts the Environmental Monitor research program, which has tracked Canadian environmental attitudes for over 20 years. McAllister clients include government, industry and charities.

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