New Agreement Keeps Ontario Lake Research Alive

The Experimental Lakes area in Northwest Ontario will be able to keep running because of an agreement between the federal and province goverments and the group that manages the project. The research area was at risk of closing because of a lack of funding.

Open since 1968, the facility has been conducting freshwater studies in an area to the south and east of Kenora. In 2012, The International Institute for Sustainable Development, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, began talks with government officials to keep the facility running. Under the new agreement, the Experimental Lakes Area will be transferred out of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and placed under Ontario control. The CEO and president of IISD, Scott Vaughn, stated the move “opens a fresh, new chapter” for the ELA, especially for research on the effects humans have on natural environments.

The ELA is the only “whole lake” lab in the world. It attracts many scientists who study the impact that pollution, industrial development and human beings have on freshwater environments.

The announcement of the agreement was met with applause and gratitude from the Council of Canadians, but was followed quickly by a statement accusing the current Stephen Harper-led government of not going far enough in protecting natural resources. Another group, Evidence of Democracy, is pleased by the agreement and will continue to advocate for government transparency in regard to use of science.

Research conducted at the ELA facility has led to significant legislative changes in Canada and beyond, namely the 1970s discovery that acid rain contributes to the loss of freshwater fish.

Online:
Experimental Lakes: Deal reached to keep famed research area open
http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/experimental-lakes-deal-reached-to-keep-famed-research-area-open-1.1755905