A new NORDIK Institute research project is receiving funding under the Great Lakes Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative.
The project, Community-based Monitoring in the Northern Great Lakes, will run until March 2026 and will focus on assessing water quality across northern Ontario. It received $120,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The project is led by Dr. Elaine Ho-Tassone, director of operations at NORDIK Institute and adjunct faculty in the School of Life Sciences and the Environment at Algoma University.
Staff from Environment and Climate Change Canada visited NORDIK Institute on Sept. 17 to meet with collaborators and learn more about the region’s water challenges.
"The project will engage communities in participatory science, allowing local residents to contribute directly to water quality monitoring in the lower Lake Superior and northern Lake Huron watersheds," a NORDIK release said. "The Township of Huron Shores, Township of Thessalon, Missanabie Cree First Nation, and the Sault Ste. Marie Water Rangers Team are among the groups and communities currently involved, with the invitation extended to other communities and Nations to participate."
Dr. Ho-Tassone and the water team at NORDIK, which includes Kiki Vetrie and Ajaz Shaikh, are looking to to develop a practical, community-based approach to water monitoring in the northern Great Lakes. By collaborating with local residents and identifying each community’s water-related priorities, the project hopes to create actionable, community-driven plans.
These priorities will be brought to relevant authorities to ensure local needs are reflected in regional and basin-wide water management decisions, a news release says.