City of Toronto’s Stormwater Management Program

Poor water quality especially in the Don River, Inner Harbour and Taylor-Massey Creek, are as a result of combined sewer overflow (CSO) and stormwater runoff. It is an unacceptable choice - sewage-tainted water in basements or in Lake Ontario. City Staff are hard at work to implement a plan to correct this problem. It will ensure that the wastewater dumped into the lake will be as close to zero as we can get. Currently, this plan is scheduled to be completed some twenty years from now. Just as governments took action in the past to address acid rain, smog days and other pollution, I believe now is the time for us to be bold and make changes so our lake remains clean and safe. This is why I support our staff bringing forward a plan to cut this time in half, cleaning our water in ten years rather than twenty years. Our staff have the expertise to do this, but they can't do it alone. I believe it is appropriate for your committee to lead this charge and usher through the changes necessary to put this plan into action. I have also begun discussions with the other governments about partnering with us to get this done much faster. I know you share in my determination to make Toronto as clean as possible for this and future generations. Thank you for adding this letter to the committee agenda and for your ongoing work on this important file.