Ontario commits to fund threatened Experimental Lakes Area

A map of the Experimental Lakes Area (Credit: Fiseries and Oceans Canada, via Wikimedia Commons)

The longevity of Ontario’s Experimental Lakes Area has been at stake for the past several months due to federal budget cuts, but now Ontario’s government is committing to keeping it open, according to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation report.

Federal budget cuts jeopardized the Experimental Lakes Area and it was to be permanently closed in March 2013. Then the government moved to keep the area open just a few months more with added funding from an outside organization.

As the final months of federal subsidy ran out, public debate for and against funding the area continued. In more than 200 reader’s comments on the most recent CBC report, Canadians displayed their polarized views.  Some supported Ontario taking on a $2 million yearly cost, with help from Manitoba, which will contribute $900,000 spread across the next six years.  Other commenters called it a waste of money.

The Experimental Lakes Area houses 58 lakes, which act as real-world laboratories for limnological experiments.

Image: A map of the Experimental Lakes Area (Credit: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, via Wikimedia Commons)