SUBMISSION OF

KRYSTYN TULLY ON BEHALF OF LAKE ONTARIO WATERKEEPER

TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015

RE: Bill 75, Microbead Elimination and Monitoring Act, 2015

My name is Krystyn Tully. I am one Vice President and co-founder of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. We are a Canadian charity working for a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future. While we have Canada-wide programs such as our Swim Guide and the new National Water Centre, I’m focusing today on the lake that sustains more Canadians and more Ontarians than any other body of water: Lake Ontario. At Waterkeeper, we believe that the way we treat our waterways reflects our true values as a society. By extension, how we treat Lake Ontario and its sister lakes reflects our true values as Ontarians. The science on microbeads is clear and uncontested. Other speakers have summed it up well. The bill is six short sections and speaks for itself. My goal today is to help you understand why this bill, as Waterkeeper understands it, is important to Lake Ontario and other Great Lakes communities.

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This is a stress map of the Great Lakes created by the Great Lakes Environmental Assessment and Mapping Project. Red indicates an area of high stress. As you can see, every square kilometre of Lake Ontario is at risk.

We didn’t get to this point because people got together and said “let’s destroy the Great Lakes.” We got here because too many people said too many times “it’s only minor harm” or “someone else will fix it.” With microbeads, we cannot afford to make the same mistake. Microbeads harm the lakes. They also threaten to undermine 30 years of investment in Great Lakes restoration. Raise your hand if you are having fish from Lake Ontario for dinner tonight. (PAUSE) One of the largest bodies of freshwater on earth is a few blocks away, yet we source our food from other places. Many Ontarians have this notion that Lake Ontario has always been a lost lake, that’s just the way it is. For the first twenty years of my life, I thought I’d grow a third eye or extra limbs if I got too close to Lake Ontario. I definitely wouldn’t touch a fish, let alone eat one. But you’re smarter than me. You probably already know that the Government of Ontario tests for contaminants like mercury, PCBs and pesticides and publishes a Guide to Eating Fish. You know that many fish are starting to come back and many industrial pollutants have been phased out. Using that Guide, you know that you can safely eat certain Great Lakes fish. And yet - you still aren’t eating Lake Ontario fish for dinner.

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The commercial fishery collapsed years ago, because of overfishing and pollution. You can’t walk into a market anywhere in this city and buy a fish from Lake Ontario. Out of sight, out of mind. That’s part of the problem. You can buy a fishing rod and a fishing license, so you can catch your fish for dinner. Do you know where to go? With 70% of nearshore habitat filled in or paved over, we haven’t made it easy. Let’s say you beat the odds. You know there are fish in the lake. You know you can eat them. You know where to find them. And you’ve caught one. It’s dinner time. And yet - you still aren’t having Lake Ontario fish for dinner. Because it turns out that your fish - this elusive, wonderful, resilient little fish that has survived against so many odds before meeting up with your hook - has a belly full of plastic. Three decades of emissions reductions, restoration, and biodiversity promotion out the window. Because we all wanted our teeth to sparkle more and our wrinkles to show a little less. It doesn’t have to be this way. This is a simple problem with a simple solution: Don’t allow microbeads down the drain, and you won’t have microbeads in fish. You’ve heard the federal government may also take action. Great! Encourage them. You’ve heard industry is taking voluntary measures. Great! Your legislation creates a level playing field for those businesses and protects their commitment. It ensures that bad actors don’t profit by refusing to eliminate microbeads from their products. Ontario communities benefits most when all sectors and levels of government compete to be the best stewards. I am here on behalf of Lake Ontario communities to say that the harm is not minor. No one else will fix our lakes for us. A swimmable, drinkable, fishable future is possible - but only if decision-makers like you at pivotal moments like this take action. Thank you. I am happy to take your questions.

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