April 19, 2021
Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring the attention of the House to the Dartmouth Lakes. This week my colleague from Dartmouth South and I re-sent our letter for the third time to the Minister of Environment, appealing for immediate action to help us preserve these precious ecological gems. These lakes are an invaluable ecological, social and economic resource that must be protected, but their future is caught up in a jurisdictional web which means that each level of government punts responsibility to the next. The MLA for Dartmouth South and I are calling for an urban lakes commission, something that came out of a Lakes Town Hall that we hosted two years ago. Summer is coming, meaning the return of blue-green algae and invasive species that keep us from enjoying the natural beauty of Dartmouth. After an especially challenging year we know how important our outdoor spaces are. It has been two years that we have been advocating for the protection of the Dartmouth lakes, and it’s time that the province take urgent and decisive action.