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KENORA, Ont. — The Ontario government will provide another year of operating funds for the Experimental Lakes Area east of Kenora.
Greg Rickford, the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, made the announcement Wednesday at the ELA base.
The $2 million in funding will enable the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development to continue the work that began in the ELA in the late 1960s.
The ELA is a "natural laboratory" comprised of 58 small lakes and their watersheds. It's been described as one of the world's most influential freshwater research facilities.
In 2013, the government of Premier Kathleen Wynne agreed to help keep ELA research going with an annual grant of $2 million after the federal government pulled out of the program.
Rickford also announced Wednesday that a $30,000 grant had been approved to pay for a detailed design and cost estimate for a new water science education and training centre.
It will replace an outdated facility and will be used to support initiatives such as the ELA Student Experience high school program, and a field biology program run in partnership with Lakehead University.
A government news release said the centre will also help expand outreach and collaboration with regional communities and First Nations.
