Friday, September 19, 2025
The Ontario government is putting more than $435,000 into a community-led project to improve water quality and restore habitats along the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall and Akwesasne.
The $435,829 investment will support work by the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, one of 63 multi-year projects across the province receiving $7.3 million through Ontario’s Great Lakes Program. The funding is aimed at strengthening ecosystems connected to the Great Lakes, improving fisheries, boosting biodiversity and supporting local economies.
“Home to 20 per cent of the world’s surface freshwater, the Great Lakes also support one of the largest economies, providing drinking water to our communities and driving tourism and growth across the province,” said Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “We are making strategic investments with partners like the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences in initiatives that will conserve this vital resource for future generations.”
The River Institute will use the funding for research, monitoring and education initiatives, including fish and wildlife consumption studies, water sampling in partnership with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, and a digital map tracking pollution levels. The institute will also deliver public education programs on the impacts of climate change on local water quality.
“These collaborative environmental research and community engagement projects will not only advance the remediation and restoration of the St. Lawrence Area of Concern (Cornwall/Akwesasne) but also help build resilience along the Upper St. Lawrence River to face any future challenges,” said Jeff Ridal, the institute’s executive director.
The province says the Great Lakes Program and related funds have helped restore wetlands, improve Areas of Concern across the basin and expand the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, which now connects more than 170 communities.
