pictured from left to right: Patrick Brown - M.P. for Barrie, Minister Van Loan, Minister Baird, Bruce Stanton – M.P. for Simcoe North, children of Richard Simpson, Richard Simpson – PROPEL Chair, and Ron Stevens – Mayor of Orillia 

ORILLIA, ON – Minister Peter Van Loan, Member of Parliament for York-Simcoe and Government House Leader and Mr. Bruce Stanton, Member of Parliament for Simcoe-North, along with Canada’s Environment Minister John Baird, today announced the first group of projects to receive funding under the $30 million Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. In addition, the three MPs announced $30,000 for the Kitchener Park Naturalization Project in Orillia as part of these projects.

“Our Government has been clear that action needs to be taken to clean up Lake Simcoe,” said Minister Van Loan. “Today’s announcement demonstrates real, meaningful, on-the-ground action for Lake Simcoe. We’re moving forward and cleaning up this Ontario jewel.”

“I’m pleased to be here in Orillia today, seeing how our Government’s investment will help improve the health of Lake Simcoe,” said Minister Baird. “Each of these projects around the lake will have an important impact to make a big difference for the environment and for Canadians.”

Thirty-six projects will receive a total of $1.9 million in the first round of projects approved under the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. A second round of proposals will be sought in the fall of 2008.

“As MP for Simcoe-North, one of my priorities is fighting to preserve and protect Lake Simcoe’s environment," said Mr. Stanton. “I’m pleased to be able to help deliver important funding for Kitchener Park here in Orillia, because it represents one more example of our commitment to clean up the Lake.”

"We are excited to be working with Bruce Stanton and the Government of Canada to preserve and protect Lake Simcoe," said Ron Stevens, Mayor of
Orillia.

The Kitchener Park Naturalization Project is one of the projects approved to help clean up Lake Simcoe. The project will receive $30,000 to reduce phosphorous inputs into the lake by planting a shoreline buffer strip to discourage geese from entering the park area. The new 10-metre wide shoreline plantings will create a filtering system for the run-off from the park to the lake and will stabilize the shoreline to reduce erosion.

Projects funded by the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund are designed to preserve and protect the environment of Lake Simcoe. These projects are part of an overall investment of $30 million over five years, which was announced in February 2008.

This investment to clean up Lake Simcoe is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Clean Water, which includes projects like the Health of the Oceans initiative to protect Canada’s three oceans, the cleanup of Randle Reef in Hamilton Harbour and action on pollution in Lake Winnipeg.