Protect Great Lakes with tougher regulations: Ontario minister

[GLF]

Ontario's natural resources minister wants Ottawa to toughen up regulations to protect the Great Lakes.

In an announcement Thursday, David Ramsay called on the federal government for tighter controls for freighters entering the Great Lakes to help prevent invasive species from entering the water system.

"The Great Lakes are a vital resource that we must protect," Ramsay said. "We are disappointed that the new regulations put in place by the federal government exempt the majority of ships from important measures to reduce the risk of bringing invasive species into Ontario waters."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/08/17/great-lakes.html