Ont. opposes plan for regulating levels of Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence

Ontario has joined environmental groups and New York state officials in opposing a plan that would change how the water levels and flow of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River are regulated.

It's been 50 years since changes were made to how the water levels and flows are controlled at the Moses-Saunders Dam at Cornwall, Ont., and Massena, N.Y., and the binational International Joint Commission said it had become "increasingly urgent" that a review be done.

Last month, the commission unveiled a new proposal based on a five-year study, but environmental groups and American officials immediately criticized it, saying it focused too much on economic interests at the expense of environmental concerns.

Ontario Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield said Wednesday she also disagrees with the commission's decision.

"[The plan] increases economic benefits for every sector and it does more for the environment," Cansfield said. "However, we also believe that it won't do enough to sustain the health of the lake and the river in the long run.

"[Our preferred] option takes steps toward emulating the natural pattern of water flow and level variability that existed before the dam was built in the 1950s."

A public consultation process is currently underway to debate the merits of the plan before a decision is made on whether to implement it.