WC148 MayJune 2026 - Magazine - Page 38
H2OPINION
The Great Lakes at a Crossroads
Why this Earth Day matters more than ever BY MARK MATTSON
URING THIS YEAR’S EARTH DAY weekend,
most of us likely did simple things that connected us
to water. What most people didn’t think about is the
agreement quietly shaping whether those moments
are safe—today, and for generations to come.
At the end of May 2026, the current Canada–Ontario Agreement (COA) on Great Lakes Water Quality and
Ecosystem Health expires. Behind closed doors, federal and
provincial governments are negotiating its successor.
Most people never read agreements like this. And maybe
that’s not a problem, so long as the water is protected. Unfortunately, nothing seems to get done unless the public is
informed and engaged.
Agreements like the COA aren’t usually news makers. Too
bad. But they don’t build beaches or fix pipes on their own.
D
2. RECLAIMING THE SHORELINE FOR PEOPLE
In 2019, SDF called for restoring at least 25 swimmable recreational water sites in Toronto—not as a luxury, but as a matter
of public health and equity.
As populations grow, access to clean water should expand—
not shrink.
The 2026 Agreement must treat beaches the way we treat
parks and hospitals: essential infrastructure for healthy communities, not optional amenities that close when water quality
falters. Swimmable Cities in the Great Lakes St Lawrence River
watershed should be the norm not the exception.
3. ENFORCEMENT: WHERE GOOD INTENTIONS GO TO DIE
In 2019, SDF warned against overreliance on voluntary compliance for industrial pollution, plastics, and road salt. That
warning feels prescient.
If pollution remains cheaper than prevention,
polluters will keep polluting.
The next Agreement needs real teeth—
Most people never read agreements like this. And maybe that’s not
clear authority, meaningful penalties, and
a renewed commitment to the pollutera problem, so long as the water is protected. Unfortunately, nothing
pays principle. Environmental protection
seems to get done unless the public is informed and engaged.
cannot depend on goodwill alone.
4. ACCOUNTABILITY THAT PEOPLE
CAN UNDERSTAND
What they do is align our federal and provincial government—across ministries, borders, and election cycles—
around shared outcomes for the Great Lakes.
Seven years later, as we stand at the threshold of the 2026
Agreement, it’s worth asking: how far have we come—and
what still stands between us and a truly swimmable, drinkable, fishable future?
1. FROM MONITORING SEWAGE TO ENDING IT
As we move forward, water quality and swimmable water
reports should be as common as weather reports, because
both are constantly changing.
But let’s be clear: knowing the water is unsafe doesn’t
make it safe.
The next Agreement must move past alerts and commit
to outcomes: no raw sewage entering the Great Lakes. Not
eventually. With timelines, funding, and accountability.
Mark Mattson is the President of
Swim Drink Fish Canada.
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WATER C AN ADA • M AY/JUNE 2026
Perhaps the most important lesson from 2019 is this: people
want outcomes.
Success isn’t measured by the number of meetings held. It’s
measured by answers to these questions: Can you swim safely
most of the summer? Can you eat the fish without worry? Are
toxic legacies truly being cleaned up?
If governments want public trust, they need public-facing
scorecards—clear, basinwide dashboards that show where progress is being made and where it isn’t.
This Earth Day, it’s worth pausing to recognize the people—
inside and outside government—who have spent decades pushing the Great Lakes St Lawrence River ecosystem and watershed
toward recovery. Progress has been made. That deserves gratitude.
But reflection without resolve is not enough.
As negotiators finalize the 2026 Canada–Ontario Agreement,
we should expect more than a rollover of commitments. We
should expect a clear timeline for delivering what people actually care about: water that is safe to swim in, drink from, and fish.
The Great Lakes hold 20 per cent of the world’s surface
freshwater. They are not just part of our economy or our environment—they are part of who we are.
The moment is here. The tools are known. Let’s make sure this
Agreement—and the movements around it—finish the job.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
