Manitoba Liberals support real action to reduce the phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg

Tuesday, November 21, Manitoba Liberals introduced legislation (Bill 206) to eliminate phosphorous in dishwasher detergents. This is the first step in a series of actions we are promoting to give real and substantial reductions in the amount of phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg.

Implementing this ban on the phosphorous in dishwasher detergents is realistic because there are now commercial dishwasher detergents which do not contain phosphorous. Implemeting this ban will reduce the amount of phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg by 2%. This contrasts to measures designed to change the hog industry in Manitoba. It is estmated that the hog industry contributes 1% of the total phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg. Reducing the phosphorous from the hog industry by 50%, if that were possible, would therefore have an impact to reduce by 0.5% the amount of phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg - an effect only one quarter that of eliminating phosphorous in dishwasher detergents.

There is another reason to specifically address dishwasher detergent. The phosphorous in dishwasher detergent is soluble and more likely to increase algal growth. Much of the rest of the phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg is attached to sediments. The sediment attached phosphorous will to a considerable extent sediment out on the bottom of Lake Winnipeg and be less available to promote algal growth. If one considers just the soluble phosphorous, the contribution of dishwasher detergent phosphorous will be much greater than 2%.

More than thirty years ago, when Lake Erie was in trouble, phosphorous was banned from laundry detergent. This measure was critical to the clean-up of Lake Erie. In a similar fashion, eliminating dishwasher detergent phosphorous can be an important part of reducing phosphorous and algal blooms on Lake Winnipeg. This step has been recommended in several reports including the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship report and the report on the Manitoba Liberal Party's workshop on Lake Winnipeg.

The exerpts below are from Hansard - the debates of the Manitoba Legislature from Tuesday November 21. As you will see- Bill 206 - The Phosphorous-Free Dishwashing Detergent Act passed first reading. As you will see, the NDP Minister of Water Stewardship wants to bicker about a comprehensive plan for Lake Winnipeg rather than taking concrete measures to reduce phosphorous going into Lake Winnipeg. The NDP have been working on a comprehensive plan for seven years. They are more concerned with bickering than action. Too bad. Time to replace them with a provincial Liberal government.

But - you can do something. If you read this - and you support Bill 206, please email to your local MLA and send a copy to me. My email address is jgerrard@leg.gov.mb.ca. Together we can make a difference.

INTRODUCTION OF BILL 206: THE PHOSPHOROUS-FREE DISHWASHING DETERGENT ACT

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, I move, seconded by the MLA for Inkster, that Bill 206, The Phosphorus-Free Dishwashing Detergent Act; Loi sur les détergents à vaisselle sans phosphore, be now read a first time.
Motion presented.

Mr. Gerrard: Mr. Speaker, this legislation will ban the use of phosphorus in dishwashing detergent as an important step in reducing the amount of phosphorus going into Lake Winnipeg in order to begin the process of cleaning up the lake and reducing the algal blooms.

Mr. Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? [Agreed]


MY QUESTION IN QUESTION PERIOD - WILL THE NDP SUPPORT BANNING PHOSPHOROUS IN DISHWASHER DETERGENTS IN MANITOBA?

Hon. Jon Gerrard (River Heights): Mr. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Water Stewardship.

While it is nice to see the government finally take an interest in the decades of damage that phosphorus-loading has done to Lake Winnipeg, I am disappointed at the government's minimalist remedy of buffer strips. Studies show that buffer strips, as they are proposing, have only a minimal 0.4 percent impact on reducing the overall amount of phosphorus going into Lake Winnipeg.

In contrast, Liberals are proposing a simple, straightforward way to reduce the amount of phosphorus entering Lake Winnipeg by five times as much through the simple step of eliminating needless phosphorus from dishwasher detergents used in Manitoba.

Will the Minister of Water Stewardship support our solution of banning phosphorus from dishwasher detergents in Manitoba?

Hon. Christine Melnick (Minister of Water Stewardship): Well, Mr. Speaker, while the Leader of the Liberal Party brings forward a dishwasher bill, we have in 2003 brought forward a whole strategy to protect the water of Manitoba from source to tap.

Now, recently, we announced the water quality management zone regulations which are posted on the Water Stewardship Web site. There will be public consultations. We encourage all Manitobans to be part of this consultation, as we have throughout our whole process, in protecting our water for our children of this generation and the generations to come.

Mr. Gerrard: For seven years the government has been promising to clean up Lake Winnipeg, and yet the algal blooms this year are worse than ever. This government has not been effective.

Mr. Speaker, more than 30 years ago phosphorus was banned from laundry detergents across Canada because of problems in Lake Erie. Phosphorus-free detergents are already on the market. Banning phosphorus from dishwasher detergents has already occurred in other jurisdictions. There are no serious technical, financial or legal problems to doing this. It is the lowest cost way of achieving the biggest reduction in phosphorus going into Lake Winnipeg.

I ask the minister: Will she support our bill to ban phosphorus from dishwashing detergents in Manitoba?

Ms. Melnick: Well, I thank the member for the second question because it lets me expand on the fact that while he is dealing with one product, with one element of one product, again we have a comprehensive plan. We are looking at all nutrients from all sources flowing in all the waters of Manitoba. We also have an action plan on how to clean that up. We will be going to public consultation on the urban and developed areas. We have had consultation in agricultural areas. Again, Manitobans get water, and they understand that this is the government that cares and is taking action on cleaning up water today and in the future.