Mr. Speaker, we in Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte are proud of beautiful Lake Simcoe. Lake Simcoe is a popular recreation area that generates millions of dollars per year in tourism. It is a great agricultural hub and supplies clean drinking water to eight municipalities. However, the prospects for Lake Simcoe were not always so bright, with high phosphates, diminishing fish populations, and a reduced number of species.
Those of us who are lucky enough to work, live, and play around Lake Simcoe have benefited from the previous Conservative government's successful investments, with local not-for-profits, to clean up the lake through the Lake Simcoe clean-up fund. The fund invested over $60 million to revitalize the Lake Simcoe watershed and southeastern Georgian Bay. That funding is set to expire this year. Continued investment will ensure that future generations can enjoy the same clean lake and beautiful waterfront community that residents and tourists enjoy today.
I call upon the current government to renew the Lake Simcoe and southeastern Georgian Bay clean-up fund in its coming budget.