WATER QUALITY

 It takes only a moment to see the beauty and importance of the Great Lakes, but it has seen over a century of abuse by human activities. Whitefish once in great abundance and a stable source of food for the Anishinaabe, now has restrictions on consumption due to toxic chemicals added to once pristine waters. The damage to the St. Mary's River will never be completely restored and it struggles with the threat of more industry such as the Noront Ferrochrome Production Facility.

"In the past, the bay of "Bayview" was described as being fed by tree-lined creeks that meandered out into the pristine shoreline of the St. Mary's River. The marsh-like area with its incoming streams provided habitat for herons and fish and was a popular swimming hole for local children in the early 1900's (Fletcher, 2004)". 

- (Breathing Easy: A Report on the Potential for Community Cooperation in Air Quality Issues in the Bayview Area of Sault Ste. Marie, December 05, 2005) 

The impacts of industrial activity, municipal discharge of waste and runoff, shipping, invasive species and groundwater contamination have played a significant role and continue to be a challenge to de-list the St. Mary's River as an Area of Concern. Bi-national agreements with the US and the St. Mary's Remedial Action Plan have been established to help restore the Great Lakes and it water quality through collaboration with industry, educational institutions, various levels of government agencies, and First Nation communities. 

Despite a requirement by the Ontario Environmental Protection Act (EPA), Algoma Steel did not report spills to the river in 2019 to the city. They are also responsible to report these upsets to their Community Liaison Committee under conditions of their Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA). The ministry was aware of these incidences but did not ensure that Algoma Steel was responsible to report the spills to the city and discuss them with their CLC. The city stated they had a shared responsibility with the ministry for environmental issues within our community. It is reasonable to expect that the city and our mayor would have engaged in discussions with ASI and the MECP regarding those spills to the river. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the city for documentation of any spills to the river, did not produce any results. Mayor Provenzano simply stated he was not notified and unaware of any spills to the river by ASI in 2019.

We need to expect better environmental stewardship from our city and political leadership for future generations. Let your city know your expectations for protecting our water quality and all livings things that depend on it.