The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition has written to Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin and Finance Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne urging the federal government to reject any cuts to the Freshwater Action Fund and instead restore and strengthen funding for Lake Simcoe in advance of the 2026 budget.
The letter, copied to all MPs representing Lake Simcoe’s watershed, follows a National Post report on leaked internal messages from the Minister’s office suggesting a 15 per cent budget cut could reduce restoration work on bodies of water across Canada.
“Lake Simcoe protection is not optional,” said Jonathan Scott, Executive Director of the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition. “Ottawa already fell short of its promise of $40 million over four years. Now is the time to restore and expand funding, not claw it back.”
Lake Simcoe, Ontario’s largest inland lake outside the Great Lakes, is home to over half a million residents and faces growing pressures from rapid urban growth, climate change, phosphorus pollution and invasive species. Advocates warn that reduced federal investment would mean more algal blooms, more beach closures and more costs for local communities.
The Coalition is calling for the federal government to honour the original $40 million commitment, secure long-term, stable funding and confirm Lake Simcoe remains a national freshwater priority.