How limiting liability can help save Lake Simcoe from salt pollution - Bradford News
Bradford is hoping to prevent mounds of salt from creating a slippery slope to environmental decline.
Following council’s approval June 3 of the green initiatives advisory committee’s recommendation from their May 21 meeting, the town is urging the provincial government to adopt legislation that limits liability for certified snow and ice contractors in the hopes of reducing over salting and its impacts on the environment.
Council passed the recommendation without discussion, but Ward 2 Coun. and committee chair Jonathan Scott previously explained to BradfordToday that the committee is hoping to build upon success promoting salt management with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), by advocating for Ontario’s attorney general to update liability standards around claims for injuries.
“We basically make it so private-property owners or parking lot owners feel they need to over salt to prevent slip and falls, when the LSRCA and others have said you don’t actually need to put that much salt down,” he said.
Using New Hampshire as an example, the motion claims a liability limiting framework can reduce salt use by as much as 40 per cent without compromising public safety and goes on to say the idea has broad support across municipalities, environmental groups and the winter maintenance industry, as proposed by the Ontario Road Salt Coalition and Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.
“It’s giving people permission to say ‘don’t worry about the liability risk.’ As long as you’re following our best practices, you don’t need to coat the entire GO train parking lot in salt,” Scott said.
The motion explains private road salt usage continues to rise, despite years of guidance and consultation efforts from the LSRCA.
That’s an issue since road salt is considered a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act due to its long-term harm to ecosystems, infrastructure and drinking water sources.
The LSRCA estimates about 100,000 tonnes of salt are applied to paved surfaces in the Lake Simcoe watershed each year and much of that ends up flowing into creeks and rivers before making its way into the lake.
The LSRCA’s 2023 watershed report card shows that from 1971 to 2021 the chloride concentration in the watershed increased at a fairly constant rate of .7 milligrams per litre per year, and in that time, rose from about 10 to roughly 60 mg/L, about half way to the long-term exposure threshold of 120 mg/L.
This all comes as the town is set to invest $2.9 million in a snow filtration facility intended to help reduce contaminants from winter road maintenance.
Based on the motion, the town is also supporting the creation of a provincial advisory committee — including municipal, industry, commercial property owners, insurance industry and environmental representatives — to guide salt reduction strategies and protect Ontario’s freshwater resources.
The motion is planned to be shared with all Simcoe County municipalities; the LSRCA; Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority; Conservation Ontario; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario; the Ontario Road Salt Coalition; local MPPs; Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Todd McCarthy; Attorney General Doug Downey; and Premier Doug Ford.