Environment committee  There is not as much certainty about what kind of results you can get from it, but lot of good work has been done in that area. Directly related to this stormwater runoff problem is climate change. I can tell you, from our members, and across the basin on the Canadian side, Thunder Bay, Wawa, Goderich, Mississauga, Hamilton, and Toronto have been hit by incredibly intense precipitation events.

Environment committee  Previous to that I was the director of water infrastructure management for the city and so have overarching responsibility for infrastructure planning, dealing with all the water, waste water, and stormwater infrastructure in the City of Toronto. I've led a number of environmental stewardship initiatives, including on climate change adaptation and a strategy to help reduce the risk and impact of flooding from extreme events and the development of the City of Toronto's innovative wet weather flow master plan, which I'll get into in some detail.

Environment committee  We need to be ahead of the game and looking out for those fish interests. Then in terms of climate change, we need to look at areas in the United States, because their temperatures today will be Canada's temperatures tomorrow. So what can we learn from their habitats right now as they're being managed?

Environment committee  The plan addresses the issues of water quality, water quantity, and flood control, and the way these matters are impacted by our growing population and by climate change. Working with many partners, we have identified several best practices in priority sub-watersheds. These practices include programs to promote cover crops and nutrient management plans in areas with intensive agricultural production.

Environment committee  I think what you're trying to say is that with the advent of climate change, and perhaps the temperature rise, two degrees would be substantial. I think probably in the last 30 or 40 years, there's been an increase of about one degree, or three-quarters of one degree, on surface water.

Environment committee  Modelling has been going on for years, but better and better modelling is our key initiative. We now have to appreciate.... For instance, the climate change issue is something that probably has been fully recognized in the past dozen years and probably was paid little attention to prior to maybe the middle nineties or the end of the nineties.

Environment committee  Do you have modelling systems now that you're using to determine the impacts of all these stresses on the Great Lakes? Are you able, say with climate change, to predict what will occur with a two-degree warming in the system? Are you in a position to forecast different outcomes as a result of potential change in climate or different types of loading that may end up in the system due to increased population or use?

Environment committee  In the possibility that we have extreme weather events—and we are having them. We can't mention the term “climate change” around here, but in extreme weather events, it's maybe not unreasonable to assume.... Even this winter there has been a massive amount of snow. There may well be a pretty significant thaw very quickly, and you might have a flood.

Environment committee  I want to remind you that I specifically read out the parameters of our study when we opened this meeting, and I would encourage you to keep to this topic that this committee agreed to study. We're not studying climate change. We're studying Great Lakes water pollution.

Environment committee  I thought I was listening very intently, but to be honest with you, I don't think I heard the witness speak about climate change. If I missed it, I apologize. I think that what we're really here to talk about is water quality. That's what the witness spent most of his time talking about, and that's what I'd ask us to keep on.

Environment committee  Phosphorus levels have declined significantly and are currently stable; however, the proportion of phosphorus in dissolved form is increasing, and this is believed to be contributing to increased algae growth. Climate change and the presence of aquatic invasive species may also play a role. The 2012 agreement commits Canada and the United States to establish revised binational phosphorus reduction targets and management plans for the Great Lakes.

Environment committee  I think climate change has a direct impact on habitats. Just think of droughts, floods and other climate change-related phenomena. That is why I would like to tell you a little story about the fight against climate change.

Environment committee  As you know, last year in the budget we committed just under $150 million specifically to climate change adaptation, and that's spread across departments. I don't want to read too many lists today, but in this $150 million allotted over five years, for example, $30 million goes to Environment Canada's climate change prediction and scenarios program, and $16 million goes to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans aquatic change, climate change adaptation.

Environment committee  I'm sure you're aware of the statements of the Minister of Natural Resources casting doubt about climate change, the 2° Celsius. The World Economic Forum ranks climate change as the third biggest concern overall, and failure to adapt to climate change is the biggest single environmental hazard facing the planet.

Environment committee  Protecting or increasing the number of wetlands could have an impact on climate change, but that is not the solution we should adopt. We are headed in the wrong direction if we think that natural environments, both forests and wetlands, will reduce climate change. To really address climate change, we must also attack road transport across Canada and the United States.