Health minister says algae not a crisis for Quebec lakes

Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard took a break from his summer holiday Friday to calm fears about the spread of blue-green algae in the province's lakes.

Couillard met with reporters on the shores ofLac-St-Jean in the Saguenay to talk about the algae, which has spurred dozens of health warnings in as many as 80 lakes since the summer's start.

The health minister said there is no need to overreact.

"We are here on a lake that has been subject to two public health advisories," he said, gesturing towards the sprawling lake. "I see no crisis here. I see people enjoying their vacations, and having fun.

"This being said, it is a serious environmental problem that is a direct result of our human intervention."

Couillard saidthe government will review the situation across the province in the next few days and see whether the province'splan should be upgraded.

He stressed that controlling pollution that encourages algae blooms is and individual and community responsibility.

Marina owner in Eastern Townships ignores public health warnings

At least onemarina owner in Quebec is accusing the province of alarming the public with its warnings of blue-green algae contamination.

The list of Quebec lakes harbouring algae blooms is getting longer by the day with 80 now reported as having some kind of algae growth.

The list includes Brome Lake in the Eastern Townships, where marina owner Gerry Moar has refused to post government warning signs issued in late June.

The signs, which urge residents to not drink the lake water and abstain from swimming in green areas, is overkill, he told CBC News on Friday.

"Closing the lake to me because of an algae bloom is like closing the city of Montreal because of a smog alert."

Last year Brome Lake was included in the province's list of contaminated lakes, a decree that "virtually closed my business," as fishermen stopped launching boats and lake traffic dwindled, Moar said.

Algae has always grown in Brome lake and the province's warning system is overly cautious, he charged.

"It's like an alarmist position ever since [the 2000 contaminated watercrisis in] Walkerton [Ont.], to protect themselves. The easiest thing in the world for them is a lake closure, because then they can wash their hands of it, and walk away."

The public is getting confused about the real dangers posed by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, said Yves Prairie, a biologist at the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Some types of blue-green algaeemit toxins that can irritate skin and membranes in humans and animals. The toxins can also cause gastroenteritis in humansand can be fatal to dogs.

The Environment Ministry's website that lists contaminated lakes fails to note levels of toxicity, when what the public needs is "a clear protocol of what [officials] consider dangerous, at what level, and for what reason," Prairie said.