Swim Drink Fish Blog
Read the latest updates and news releases about community science, water monitoring, Artists for Water, and more.
2015 Case Review: Where do we stand at the end of the year?
With 2015 drawing to a close, what better time to look back at the events most affecting the lake? We looked at our newsletters, case summaries, and web traffic this year and compiled a list of the issues that caught your attention in 2015. Grab a coffee and enjoy the recap!
Waterkeeper submits formal comment on Toronto Island Airport Expansion
Waterkeeper recommends that the City of Toronto defer its decision to approve the airport expansion. Without environmental assessment, permits, proof that environmental harm will not occur, and adequate public consultation, the City’s permission is premature. The consequences of making a rushed decision are significant and potentially irreversible harm to public resources; those consequences outweigh any perceived private benefits of the project.
Island Airport Expansion is premature, Waterkeeper tells city
Two City of Toronto committees are meeting to review Porter Airline’s island airport expansion proposal. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is appearing before both committees to caution the city against hasty decision-making when the stakes - the future of our waterfront - are so high. Here is the text of our oral submission to the Subcommittee to Review Billy Bishop Airport Consultants Reports.
Our main conclusion is this: decisions made in the name of “convenience” alone can cost the city millions of dollars and significant lost opportunity. Therefore, a decision on the airport expansion requires legal oversight through Environmental Assessments and permit applications. And this is a good thing: following legal processes now can avoid political headaches and costly mistakes later.
Does Toronto airport plan hijack Obama, Wynne vision for the Great Lakes?
It is not okay to dump waste in the lake. Period. It is not okay to destroy what little coastal habitat remains because it is convenient. Period. People who suggest this should get the stink-eye, just as if they let their dog do its business on a busy sidewalk or lit up a cigarette in the middle of a family restaurant. Those actions were tolerated in the past, but not any longer.
If Toronto really wants to be a world-class city, then it needs to show world-class courage. Period.
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper comments on Review of Toronto Port Authority Terms of Reference
Systemic problems with the Toronto Port Authority and the legislation that governs it have created problems on the Toronto waterfront and for the city as a whole. Read our analysis for more information.
Waterkeeper comments on the proposal to ban a bridge to Toronto Islands
The "fixed link issue" is about much more than merely building a bridge to an island. As Waterkeeper noted in our comments during the environmental assessment, to build the link is to fortify the TCCA?s foothold on toronto's waterfront. The EA process did little to justify the continued operations of an airport in our harbour, which was the real crux of the issue.
T.O. waterfront plan: Waterkeeper responds
Mills tried to be all things to all people everywhere and, in doing so, he failed to capture the spirit of Toronto's waterfront.
Urgent Request to Minister of Transport
In Fall 2003, there was much confusion surrounding the future of the bridge to the Toronto Island Airport. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper sent this urgent letter to the Minister of Transportation requesting clarification.
Clarification regarding outstanding approvals for construction of Fixed Link
To our knowledge, the Tripartite Agreement still prohibits the construction of a fixed link and the Toronto Port Authority has not yet provided the stormwater treatment plan requested by the City of Toronto in its conditional approval of the project.
Concerns voiced over Island Airport EA
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper became concerned about the future of the Toronto Harbour when the Port Authority announced it wanted to build a bridge to the Toronto Island Airport. The bridge would help to expand airport activities - something that alarmed area residents. The bridge would also create a navigation problem for the many sailors, boaters, and tour boat companies that rely on the Western Gap to enter and exit the harbour.
We read the environmental assessment reports and found serious problems with the project. We also found the decision-making process to be flawed. This letter relays our concerns to the Toronto Port Authority.