“If you don’t monitor, then you have no way of knowing if you’re having an impact, by being able to go back to a site year after year over a long term, we can see how things are changing.”Kim Funk, Conservation Halton
Communities and Monitoring Groups
Ontario
Ontario borders four of the five Great Lakes: Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Water quality monitoring in Ontario is undertaken by a broad range of groups including Indigenous Nations, federal and provincial agencies, non-governmental organizations, academic researchers and engaged individuals. Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities also play an important role. The Lake Partner Program (LPP) is run by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) in collaboration with the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA). Established in 1996, the LPP has a 25-year dataset with over 600 volunteers collecting samples each year making it the largest volunteer-based water quality monitoring program of its kind in Canada.
Quebec
The Saint Lawrence River flows through Quebec, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean and forming the primary drainage outflow of the Great Lakes Basin. In the Quebec region, Regroupement des organismes de bassins versants du Québec (ROBVQ) is the parent organization for the 40 OBVs. These OBVs are government recognized watershed organizations charged with designing and implementing watershed management. With a large network of partners, le Groupe d’éducation et d’écosurveillance de l’eau (G3E) has been developing many community-led water monitoring and educational programs for over 30 years providing extensive and valuable water quality knowledge of the Quebec region.
Tell Us Your Story
We are committed to working with communities and organizations throughout the region.
