Lake Ontario has profoundly influenced the historical evolution of North America. For centuries it has enabled and enriched the societies that crowd¬ed its edges, from fertile agricultural landscapes to energy production systems to sprawling cities.

In The Lives of Lake Ontario Daniel Macfarlane details the lake’s relationship with the Indigenous nations, settler cultures, and modern countries that have occupied its shores. He examines the myriad ways Canada and the United States have used and abused this resource: through dams and canals, drinking water and sewage, trash and pollution, fish and foreign species, industry and manufacturing, urbanization and infrastructure, population growth and biodiversity loss. Serving as both bridge and buffer between the two countries, Lake Ontario came to host Canada’s largest megalopolis. Yet its transborder exploitation exacted a tremendous ecological cost, leading people to abandon the lake. Innovative regulations in the later twentieth century, such as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreements, have partially improved Lake Ontario’s health.

Despite signs that communities are reengaging with Lake Ontario, it remains the most degraded of the Great Lakes, with new and old problems alike exacerbated by climate change. The Lives of Lake Ontario demonstrates that this lake is both remarkably resilient and uniquely vulnerable.

Daniel Macfarlane is an Assistant Professor with the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at Western Michigan University. His research examines Canada-US border waters and he is the author of Negotiating a River, Canada, the US and the Creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Daniel Macfarlane's profile page

“Engaging and accessible, The Lives of Lake Ontario fills gaps in our knowledge of lakefront geographies by considering the lake itself as an organizing principle. This re-centering of key regional features generates insights into the economic and environmental history of the region that have been overlooked by land-oriented studies, giving water its due in the history of this watery centre of the continent.” Jennifer Bonnell, author of Reclaiming the Don: An Environmental History of Toronto’s Don River Valley

“Despite some progress, the mistreatment of Lake Ontario over the last two centuries continues to undermine its ecological health and role as a key fish and wildlife habitat. The Lives of Lake Ontario advances our understanding of a Great Lake that is often trivialized, building blocks of history and science into a fascinating whole.” Dave Dempsey, author of Great Lakes for Sale

"MacFarlane’s contribution provides a space to think across geographical, technical, social, cultural, and political landscapes. A comprehensive, insightful environmental history of Lake Ontario." NiCHE: Network in Canadian History & Environment