We can drink the water, but when it's treated. There are high levels of nutrients in Lake Erie that are causing toxic algae blooms. There are 20 million pounds of plastic pollution in the Great Lakes; it's not just an oceans problem. We're still seeing restrictions on the type and amount of fish you can eat.
We're making progress, but there's a lot more that we need to do to make sure the health of the Great Lakes is beyond “fair”, which is what the status is today.
When you think about that from a federal government and funding perspective, with the new funding that was announced this year, I think we'll be investing about $58 million a year over the next 10 years. It's estimated that the algae problem in Lake Erie alone will cost the Canadian economy $300 million a year.
We need a lot more investment in science, in protection efforts and in restoration efforts, not just through the federal government but in working with the provinces of Ontario and Quebec as well as the cities and rural communities that share the coastline of the Great Lakes. Then, ultimately, we need to try to do more with the United States.