MLA at Summerfest 2026 - Carleton Place

MLA At Summerfest 2026

Article submitted by Lise Boulay

MLA Environment Chair

We had a fun and successful day at Summerfest in Downtown Carleton Place which took place on Saturday July 25th.

Our main driver this year was the Let’s Get The Lead Out campaign which is an environmental awareness campaign aimed at encouraging anglers to switch to non-toxic, lead-free fishing tackle as lead tackle at the bottom of our lakes is the leading cause of death in the province of Ontario for the Common Loon - Ontario’s official bird - and many other wildlife.

The crowds at the Summerfest were abundant and very interested in the Loon Soundboards, the Fishing Rods for the Loon colouring contest and the “Get the Lead Out” Petition.

The children happily coloured the loon while their parents watched and we talked about fishing lead free and Mississippi Lake.

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We got 200 signatures for the petition and 23 colourings from the children.

The winners will be selected at the next MLA meeting and they will receive fishing rods donated by Bait Casters.

Remember, Lead fishing tackle is dangerous because:

• it pollutes our water, making it dangerous to ingest or swim in.

• It kills our wildlife, from endangered loons and eagles to game fish, otters, and turtles

• it poisons game, making fish and waterfowl dangerous to touch and ingest.

You can support the “Let’s Get the Lead Out” campaign by:

• visiting FishLeadFree.ca to download and print the hard-copy petition requesting restrictions on lead fishing tackle in Ontario

• Next collect signatures from your family, friends and community.  Because official legislative petitions in Ontario require handwritten physical signatures rather than digital clicks,

• you can then mail the signed petition to:

Let’s Get The Lead Out

C/O 9 Garland Lane

Godfrey, Ontario

K0H 1T0