Development of Great Lakes shoreline management plans by Ontario conservation authorities

The Great Lakes shoreline in Ontario is subject to severe flooding and erosion due to frequent high water level periods and storm events leading to wind and wave action. After extensive property damages in 1985 and 1986, the province established a shoreline management program to be administered by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. A key component of this program is the development of Great Lakes shoreline management plans by Ontario conservation authorities. A review of three such plans reveals a focus on understanding the range and frequency of shoreline flooding and erosion, and the use of land use regulations and shoreline protection structures to reduce the impact from these hazards. Limited attention and responses are provided for the range of issues and concerns that occur in these shoreline areas such as ecosystem management, species and habitat protection, and water quality. A lack of consistency, enforcement, monitoring and coordination occurs in the provincial program which has also recently been affected by related land use and environmental planning initiatives and government financial restraints.