Effect of Climate Change on Dartmouth Lakes - RECOG. - Member's Statement

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, today, as hundreds of thousands of people around the world take to the streets, I rise to draw attention to the ways in which the impacts of climate change are already being felt in my constituency of Dartmouth South.

Dartmouth has long been known as the City of Lakes, and even 20 years after amalgamation, that is firmly how we see ourselves. But our lakes are under threat: rapid weed growth, harmful blue-green algae blooms, phosphorus loading, and invasive species are some of the many challenges facing Dartmouth. Some of these are exacerbated by human and industrial activities, but they are turbocharged by climate change.

While some of the impacts of global warming can seem abstract to those of us lucky enough not to be affected yet, the impacts on our lakes have a profound effect on our community: swimming beaches in low-income communities closed, hundreds of children unable to experience the natural gems of their own community, and profound risks to the world-class paddling competitions that take place on our lakes every summer.

I'd like to recognize the many individuals and groups working to mitigate these impacts and plan for the future, and to reaffirm my own commitment to save our lakes.