'Great Lakes United circulates support letter for Right of Passage Bill 43'

Great Lakes United is an international coalition dedicated to preserving and restoring the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River ecosystem. Its member organizations represent environmentalists, conservationists, hunters and anglers, labor unions, community groups, and citizens of the United States, Canada, and First Nations and Tribes.  We develop and promote effective policy initiatives, carry out education programs, and promote citizen action and grassroots leadership to assure clean water and air, safeguards to protect the health of people and wildlife, and a conservation ethic that will sustain a healthy Great Lakes.
Every year, Great Lakes United’s coalition takes up key policy issues from throughout the region, both in Canada and the U.S.  We approved an important resolution at this year’s annual meeting and have gained additional support from individual environmental organizations (see endorsers below) that relates to an important issue of specific interest to your constituents, the affirmation of the public’s right of passage along the shorelines of the Great Lakes.

Public access is eroded daily by the encroachment of signs and fences by adjacent property owners, creating considerable confusion as to the ownership of the shorelines of the Great Lakes.  Intense lakeshore development and the acquisition of additional public lands by many property owners through the Boundaries Act has also contributed to this loss of access; and feeling of frustration by Ontario residents who want nothing more than the ability to passively enjoy some our greatest natural wonders. 

To clarify this issue and to affirm the provincial government’s support for public access to the Great Lakes, MPP Kim Craitor of Niagara Falls has introduced a private members bill that if passed will reaffirm what many believe to have always been the public’s right – to stroll the shores of the Great Lakes from the water’s edge to the high water mark, free of barriers and obstructions.  This legislation is Private Members Bill 43 (Right of Passage) and it is currently awaiting second reading.  It is also our intention to gain support for this cause directly with all political parties as it is an issue that transcends party lines and is of benefit to Ontario residents and tourists alike. 

Ontario citizens love their Great Lakes.  If traditional public access rights are lost, however, it will be difficult to maintain the substantial support needed to restore and sustain these invaluable assets. Passage of this bill is essential to clarify the rights of the public and private property owners. It will also ensure that the Great Lakes will continue to be appreciated and protected.  We urge you to sign on to this legislation and help advance its passage.  Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Additional information on this very important issue can be obtained through the sponsoring organizations’s web site, www.Shorewalk.ca