Lake Partner Program Renewal Confirmed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 20, 2025 - Ontario

FOCA is very pleased to report to member association representatives, Friends of FOCA, and media partners our confirmation of the ongoing Lake Partner Program (LPP) of water quality monitoring across Ontario.

Our voices were heard!

FOCA has a signed agreement with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks that enables us to continue the LPP over the coming five years, with the support of our hundreds of volunteer Lake Stewards throughout the province.

Attention Lake Stewards: please proceed with your summer sampling if you haven't already. The Assistant Lake Stewardship Coordinator is back in action, and your returned samples will be processed at the Ministry lab as usual. Thank you for your patience as we catch up on two and a half months of emails and work. Thank you for your ongoing volunteer efforts on behalf of the program. Your involvement is invaluable, and we congratulate you for your commitment!

“We’re so grateful to the hundreds of supporters who took the time to write to the Premier and the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks—our key government partners in the Lake Partner Program," said Lesley Lavender, CEO, Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations. "We sincerely appreciated being copied on your letters, and reading about each of your personal connections to the program, and how you use the collected data in your own community or science work.”

Finally, thank you to the Province of Ontario and our Ministry partners, whose ongoing involvement makes this important work possible, on behalf of waterfront Ontario.

”I want to thank our longstanding partner FOCA for their excellent delivery of the Lake Partner Program – the largest of its kind in Canada – and the hundreds of dedicated community volunteers taking water samples from their local lakes every summer,” said Todd McCarthy, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “By continuing to support this vital program, we are able to monitor water quality and take action when needed to protect the health of lakes and communities across Ontario.”

If you receive an error message on the Ontario webpage, the servers may be temporarily overwhelmed by the increased traffic! You can try from a mobile device as well. If you need help accessing your data, reach out to lakepartner@foca.on.ca for assistance during business hours.

Please continue to support FOCA's advocacy efforts and calls-to-action. We are committed to sustaining and enhancing the Ontario cottage experience. We work collaboratively to identify and address key issues by providing credible expertise, environmental stewardship, targeted programs and services, and a robust network of strategic partners. Our members are more than 525 lake and road associations across the province, and the 50,000 permanent and seasonal residents they represent. Together, we are the voice of the Ontario waterfront.

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As a not-for-profit organization working on your behalf, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring donation to support FOCA's year-round work on behalf of waterfront Ontario, if you are in a position to do so. 

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