Lake Simcoe is the heart of its watershed – a source of drinking water, recreation, and cultural identity. Despite more than a decade under the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan (LSPP), the Lake still carries the burden of increasing phosphorus and chloride levels, and a lack of retrofitting of stormwater and environmental infrastructure. Public worry is growing, yet resources are compartmentalized, and the decision-making process remains obscured by vague policy overviews and political agendas. For governments to genuinely protect Lake Simcoe, we must transition from written promises to actions that are clear, quantifiable, monitorable, and fair. To achieve this, we must track the money, trace the phosphorus, and monitor the salt.
Phosphorus: The core problem that won’t go away. The $24 Million Project That Took 20 Years
Let’s start with a nutrient at the center of the story. The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan put forward the long-term goal to reduce phosphorus (P) loading to 44 tons per year. Based on this figure, the plan would restore cold-water fish habitat and improve water quality.
So how close are we?
Despite eye-catching headlines from news reports highlighting millions committed to protect the lake, The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority stated in their Lake Simcoe watershed report that phosphorus (P) loading has consistently remained between 70-90 tons annually in recent years. P loads are in fact going up. According to LSRCA data, from 2000 – 2010 the annual average phosphorus load was 78 tons. 2011 – 2020 the annual average was 97.5 tons.
The Minister’s report on Lake Simcoe mentions that P levels in some years are no better or worse than they were over a decade ago. Although certain streams have shown improvement, the overall load varies significantly from year to year based on rainfall, snowmelt, and upstream land use.
So where is all this phosphorus coming from? According to the Lake Simcoe Phosphorus Reduction Strategy and recent monitoring reports:
- Urban stormwater runoff: ~31%
- Atmospheric deposition: ~27%
- Agricultural and rural runoff: ~25%
- Municipal sewage treatment plants: ~7%
- Septic systems: ~5%
- Holland Marsh and polders: ~4%
While point sources such as sewage plants have seen reductions through technological upgrades, non-point sources like stormwater and agricultural runoff remain the dominant contributors, and they are much harder to control. This is where Ontario’s highly publicized $24 million funding for a P reduction facility close to the Holland Marsh comes in, expected to eliminate 2 to 10 tons of P annually, roughly 2 – 10% of the total P load to the lake from all sources. Consider the Bradford phosphorus reduction plant which has recently been approved to move into phase-1 of the project with long awaited investment from Ontario following the $16 million from the Feds. The facility is being engineered to capture agricultural runoff before it enters the West Holland river.
However, this is a project that has been talked about for more than two decades. Engineering studies track back to 20 years, and although a few local advocates made significant efforts to bring it back, the province’s solid financial support only emerged in 2022, long after phosphorus levels had increased far beyond the goal of 44 tons annually.
Provincial and Municipal Spending Under the Microscope: Follow the Money
In the year 2021-2022, the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) committed $26.1 million to protect Lake Simcoe in accordance with the Protection Plan in effect. Within the budgetary divide, $24 million was allocated (recently approved) to a phosphorus reduction facility near Holland Marsh, and remaining $2.1 million was distributed across numerous smaller-scale projects such as outreach programs, stormwater management support, salt reduction training, and better agricultural practices.
Simultaneously, municipalities in the watershed together provide around $9.5 million annually to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). These resources assist in stream observation, wetland rehabilitation, source water safeguarding, stormwater improvements, and watershed management.
On the surface, this appears to be a significant obligation. In reality, the inquiry turns into: Where is this money truly directed and is it effective?
Pennies for the Lake, Promises by the Millions
One of the most pressing yet overlooked issues is the glaring mismatch between the scale of funding and the magnitude of problems it means to solve.
For instance, stormwater runoff- a leading source of P pollution, especially in fast growing municipalities like East Gwillimbury, Bradford West Gwillimbury, and Barrie. The Minister’s report on Lake Simcoe exhibit contributing in 2021–2022 fiscal year
- $250,000 to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) for stormwater facility training and tools for municipal staff.
- $220,000 to study cross-boundary runoff in the East Holland river watershed.
However, when allocated among over 14 municipalities, each dealing with outdated infrastructure and numerous outfalls, these amounts diminish to just a few thousand dollars per community, hardly sufficient to hire a consultant, much less implement substantial retrofits. Even more concerning is the absence of public reporting to demonstrate if these funds resulted in quantifiable phosphorus decreases, enhanced infrastructure inventories, or any finalized projects.
The pattern persisted in 2023, when the province highlighted research and monitoring projects but provided little funding for actual phosphorus reduction infrastructure. In 2023, Ontario allocated,
- $69,114 to study chemical contaminants.
- $63,599 to refine phosphorus load estimates from Holland Marsh drainage.
- $115,000 to examine chloride movement from stormwater ponds.
While these studies may improve future decision-making, they do not retrofit outdated stormwater facilities or stop phosphorus from entering the lake today. To put the gap in perspective, almost twenty years ago, in 2007 the LSRCA estimated it would cost about $117 million to retrofit 279 aging stormwater management ponds across the watershed, a measure that could cut phosphorus runoff by over 7 tonnes per year. Yet funding for such large-scale fixes continues to trickle in at levels that barely make a dent.
If local governments updated systems, which municipalities completed retrofits ? What phosphorus reductions were measured? How much new development is offsetting the benefits of these retrofits? In the absence of transparency, accountability, or significant investment, these funds may turn into mere symbolic actions, actions that do not address the pressing nature of a threatened watershed. Lake Simcoe warrants more than temporary solutions and missing information.
Sewage and Septic
Lake Simcoe watershed is home to 14 municipal and one industrial sewage treatment plant. LSPP requires these facilities to meet the strict P loading as well as concentration limits. Septic systems present a less noisy yet equally significant hazard. Approximately 33,000 septic systems exist within the watershed. Ontario’s Building Code was revised in 2011 to mandate inspections every five years for systems located within 100 meters of Lake Simcoe. Still, to this day:
- There is no central database available indicating the number of systems that have undergone inspection.
- No public information exists regarding the number of necessary upgrades or how municipalities enforce inspections.
Road salt pollution
At the same time, chloride concentrations in the lake, primarily due to road salt, keep increasing. MECP’s reply? Providing two rounds of $35,000 in funding to the Smart About Salt Council for training and outreach activities in fiscal year 2018 and 2021-2022. And $115,000 to examine chloride movement from stormwater ponds. Although beneficial, this is a drop in the bucket of need. No changes to road salting policy or practice have yet been announced.
Who is Pulling the Weight?
Watershed municipalities contribute a relatively consistent amount, typically between $8.0 million and $9.4 million annually to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). In 2022, municipal contributions totaled $9.00 million; in 2023, they rose slightly to $9.36 million; and in 2024, they were $9.10 million. However, direct city investments in sewage and stormwater systems differ significantly and are not monitored in any centralized or comparative manner.
- City of Barrie: Has dedicated more than $261 million to enhance its Water Pollution Control Centre, with $182 million allocated for improved nutrient removal. This is one of the rare municipalities currently implementing a significant phosphorus-reduction upgrade.
- Innisfil: A new facility for controlling water pollution is being built, but the expenses have surged from $150 million to $290 million. Project specifics, such as phosphorus reduction goals, continue to be unclear.
- East Gwillimbury (York Region): Many projects are in the pipeline or currently ongoing, such as upgrades to sewage pumping systems and the decommissioning of lagoons. However, limited information exists regarding phosphorus results or the timing of enforcement actions. A significant portion of the funding relies on infrastructure led by developers and new service contracts.
Smaller towns such as Ramara, Brock, and Oro-Medonte encounter significant restrictions in staffing and budget. Some depend on outdated infrastructure and lack the means for proactive upgrades or strong enforcement.
Where does the money come from?
Municipalities in Ontario have historically depended on Development Cost Charges (DCCs) collected from developers to fund new infrastructure, including stormwater management facilities designed to reduce phosphorus pollution and manage flooding. However, changes introduced under Bill 23 (2022) have narrowed what costs can be recovered through DCCs, particularly those tied to environmental protection measures and stormwater retrofits. This has left municipalities in the Lake Simcoe watershed facing significant shortfalls when trying to finance upgrades to aging stormwater systems. Without sufficient contributions from developers, the burden increasingly falls on municipal tax bases, forcing many local governments to defer necessary retrofits or scale back planned projects, even as stormwater runoff remains one of the largest contributors of phosphorus to the lake.
Some municipalities have tried to close this gap through user-pay models, like Barrie’s Stormwater Climate Action Fund, which charges property owners based on the hard surface area of their properties and generates funds annually dedicated solely to stormwater improvements. Barrie’s Infrastructure Investment Funding levy dedicates an additional 1% property tax to infrastructure maintenance including stormwater systems. As of 2023–25, the levy was doubled to 2%, with 1% still reserved for stormwater infrastructure renewal.This is an internal, municipal funding stream, not externally provided grants. But these approaches are not widely implemented across the watershed. Elsewhere, municipalities must rely on sporadic provincial grants
Shifting from Good Intentions to Quantifiable Outcomes
At Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, we hold that true accountability begins with linking funds to results. Reporting funding totals is insufficient, we must also monitor the changes that result from that funding. To revitalize the lake and promote community-driven management, we urge:
- Link funding to quantifiable reductions in phosphorus.
- Government and local projects must be mandated to measure both expected and realized phosphorus reductions, employing uniform metrics and reporting standards.
- Initiate a live public dashboard for lake wellness.
- A map-based tool that is easy to use should enable the public to observe ongoing trends in phosphorus, chloride, and oxygen throughout Lake Simcoe and its tributaries.
- Centralize data on sewage and septic enforcement
The province should work with municipalities to publish up-to-date figures on:
- Number of sewage treatment facilities meeting their loading targets.
- Number of septic inspections conducted, and systems upgraded.
- Estimated phosphorus contribution from both sources.
- Track chloride use and environmental impacts
- All municipalities and major private contractors should monitor chloride concentrations in nearby streams and groundwater and share data.
- Publish annual phosphorus loading by sub watershed
- Rather than indicating only total phosphorus loading, Ontario should disaggregate the data as much as possible by sub watershed or tributary, to allow for the identification of local hotspots and to evaluate if past investments have or have not reduced pollution.
Protecting water quality takes more than money, it requires transparency. Without publicly available data, local results, and annual reporting, the public has no way to know if Lake Simcoe is on a real path to recovery.
It is time to modernize our environmental data, extend municipal reporting requirements, and make sure every dollar invested provides a real, measurable benefit for Lake Simcoe.
References:
Barrie 2024 Budget Confirmation:
Council approved water and wastewater rate increases; infrastructure investment levy frozen. https://barrie360.com/barrie-budget-zero-increase/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Barrie 2025 Operating & Financial Overview:
Gross water operating budget $34.2–34.5 M; wastewater $46.5 M; IIF levy investments, etc. https://www.barrie.ca/Finance/2025-Operating-Budget-Executive-Summary.pdf
BarrieToday.com. (2022). Oldest asset in the city: Wastewater treatment facility in line for $261M retrofit.
https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/oldest-asset-in-the-city-wastewater-treatment-facility-in-line-for-261m-retrofit-5199424
BarrieToday.com. (2023, April). Innisfil’s water pollution control plant expansion pegged at $290M.
https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/innisfils-water-pollution-control-plant-expansion-pegged-at-290m-9250389
Dig a little deeper: Barrie council locks in a 4.31% tax hike. https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/dig-a-little-deeper-barrie-council-locks-in-431-tax-hike-10153483?utm_source=chatgpt.com
East Gwillimbury 2024 Business Plan & Budget: outlines programs funded from tax levy including road maintenance, stormwater, sewage pumping upgrades. https://www.eastgwillimbury.ca/en/government/2024-business-plan-budget.aspx
Georgina Post. (2024, April). Cleaning up Lake Simcoe: What are the next steps for a phosphorus recycling plant?
https://georginapost.com/2024/04/09/cleaning-up-lake-simcoe-what-are-the-next-steps-for-a-phosphorous-recycling-plant/
Innisfil 2023–24 Budget: planning and capital budget PDF includes water/stormwater servicing projects (Phosphorus cap and MSP). https://innisfil.ca/en/my-government/resources/Documents/Proposed-2023-2024-Town-of-Innisfil-Proposed-Budget.pdf
Innisfil Sewage Performance Report 2023: Annual operations, ECA details. https://innservices.co/uploads/files/2023_Innisfil-Sanitary-Sewage-Collection-System-Annual%20Report.pdf
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). (2020). Phosphorus Loads Update 2018–2020.
https://lsrca.on.ca/index.php/watershed-health/phosphorus/phosphorus-loads-update-2018-2020
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). (2021). Phosphorus in the Watershed.
https://lsrca.on.ca/index.php/watershed-health/phosphorus
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA). (2023). Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the Lake Simcoe Watershed.
https://lsrca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Climate-Change-Adaptation-Strategy-opt.pdf
LSRCA 2023 Budget Summary. https://www.lsrca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Approved-Budget.pdf
Lake Simcoe phosphorus reduction strategy. https://www.ontario.ca/page/lake-simcoe-phosphorus-reduction-strategy
Lake Simcoe Basin Stormwater Management and Retrofit Opportunities. https://lsrca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Lake-Simcoe-Basin-SWM-Retrofit-Opportunities-opt.pdf
Lake Simcoe watch. Link
2023 Minister’s Annual Report on Lake Simcoe. https://www.ontario.ca/page/2023-ministers-annual-report-lake-simcoe#section-3
Minister’s Annual Report on Lake Simcoe, 2021-2022. https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministers-annual-report-lake-simcoe-2021-2022#section-2
Minister’s 10-Year Report on Lake Simcoe. https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministers-10-year-report-lake-simcoe
National Observer. (2023, November). Ontario plunges $13 million into Lake Simcoe cleanup.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/11/10/news/ontario-plunges-13-million-lake-simcoe-cleanup
Ontario Data Catalogue. (n.d.). Lake Simcoe Monitoring Dataset.
https://data.ontario.ca/dataset/lake-simcoe-environmental-monitoring
Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. (2023). Minister’s Annual Report on Lake Simcoe: 2021–2022. Government of Ontario.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/2023-ministers-annual-report-lake-simcoe
Orillia Matters. (2023, October). New phosphorus plant aims to help save Holland Marsh, Lake Simcoe.
https://www.orilliamatters.com/local-news/new-phosphorus-plant-aims-to-help-save-holland-marsh-lake-simcoe-10147276
Phosphorus Offsetting Policy (2023), LSRCA, https://lsrca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Phosphorus-Offsetting-Policy.pdf
LSRCA, Phosphorus Q&A, https://lsrca.on.ca/index.php/watershed-health/phosphorus/
Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition. (2021). Lake Simcoe Protection Plan Review Briefing.
https://rescuelakesimcoe.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Lake-Simcoe-Protection-Plan.pdf
Town of Georgina, Stormwater Rate- Impacts of Bill 23. https://www.georgina.ca/living-here/planning-and-development/impact-bill-23?utm_source
York Region – Water and Wastewater Construction Projects: details capital program including East Gwillimbury sewage upgrades. York Region 2024 Budget – Environmental Services – Wastewater. https://www.york.ca/sites/default/files/2023-11/2024-ES-Wastewater.pdf