Nineteen Ontario municipalities and two conservation authorities are backing the Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition as it lobbies provincial leaders at the annual AMO conference in Ottawa to reduce winter road salting.
Currently, there are no provincial standards for salt use, but the group says awareness has been growing about the impact of salt on Ontario’s freshwater ecosystems, noting that the province’s own monitoring data shows that chloride in 400 streams and lakes has doubled since the 1960s.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks leads 11 long-term monitoring programs at over 2,500 surface and groundwater sampling locations across the province that report chloride concentration.
The Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition is hoping to raise awareness for its cause at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) national conference in Ottawa from August 17 – 20. The group, and a growing list of municipalities, has passed a resolution calling on the province to convene a key stakeholder committee to inform better provincial policy on salt pollution, and explore limited liability approaches and best practices.
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“Municipal officials have more power than they think, especially when we act together,” said Dani Lindamood, campaigns and communications director for Water Watchers and co-lead organizer of the Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition. “The province is hearing us. The more cities and townships who pass resolutions calling for provincial action on salt pollution, the closer we’ll get to real policy action,”
In a limited liability regime, snow plow operators and site owners would both follow prescribed rules and participate in annual contractor certification programs. In return, they would have their liability for slip and fall lawsuits limited. This would reduce road salt application rates, save money on salt expenditures, and reverse skyrocketing insurance costs for contractors, the coalition suggests.
The coalition also says municipal leaders need to consider the millions of dollars per year of infrastructure damage caused by road salt, such as accelerated deterioration of roads and bridges. Canada’s EcoFiscal Commission has estimated the economic and environmental damage of winter salt to Canada at $4.8 billion per year, which would prorate to about $2 billion per year in Ontario, the coalition says.
“Reducing salt pollution has long-term environmental cost savings, which we should all support, but it also would reduce the cost of infrastructure repair, which is a significant concern for municipalities,” says City of Waterloo Councillor Julie Wright, who led the charge to pass a resolution for provincial salt pollution action in Waterloo earlier this year.
Bradford West Gwillimbury’s Green Initiatives Advisory Committee also led its council to pass a resolution calling on the provincial government to act on salt pollution last spring.
In February, the District of Muskoka was the first to pass a municipal salt pollution action resolution, under the leadership of District Chair Jeff Lehman.
“Residents in Muskoka are passionate about the environment and water quality, as am I,” Lehman said in a statement. “This is an important initiative, and a simple ask with much public support and upsides for small town economies and municipalities alike.”
Chloride levels at approximately 50 stream monitoring stations across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) almost doubled from 2002 to 2012, according to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
Lake Simcoe, one of Ontario’s largest lakes, has also seen excessive salt washing off roads more often over recent decades. Projections show it will reach “chronic” salinity levels in just over 30 years, the coalition says.
Eighteen businesses and business professionals have already supported the Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition’s advocacy for provincial action through a business sign on letter.
