A world-famous research area in northwestern Ontario will remain open thanks to agreements between the provincial and federal governments and the Manitoba-based group that runs the facility.
The Experimental Lakes Area was in danger of closing after the federal government said in 2012 that it was considering closing the area to save $2 million per year.
The facility, located in a remote region about 50 kilometres southeast of Kenora, has been used since 1968 for scientific freshwater studies.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development, the Winnipeg-based research organization that has been running the facility, began negotiations with the federal and Ontario governments in late 2012 to try to keep it open.
Under agreements reached among the three parties, management of the 58-lake facility will transfer from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to Ontario, effective immediately.
The institute says pledges of financial support from the federal, Ontario and Manitoba governments, among others, will enable the not-for-profit non-governmental organization to continue to operate the facility.
(The Canadian Press)