Ontario mayors in the Great Lakes region are calling for improvements to beaches, shorelines and wetlands and enhanced promotion of the province's tourist destinations.

A five-point plan released Tuesday at the inaugural Provincial-Municipal Great Lakes Summit in Toronto also calls for more research into how much the waters help contribute to the economy.

The report estimates local governments in Ontario invest more than $2 billion annually to protect and restore the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River system and calls for more provincial and federal involvement.

The mayors hope to establish a working group with provincial and federal officials to better co-ordinate and collaborate Great Lakes protections and share information.

The report also calls for a comprehensive algae control plan to control its explosive growth and a reduction of untreated sewage and stormwater discharges into the Great Lakes.

More work should be done promote Ontario as a major beach and shoreline destination given that it has a greater share of Great Lakes shoreline than any other jurisdiction, the report concludes.

"There may be no better way to strengthen the public's connection to the Great Lakes than to enhance and promote beaches and other shoreline activities such as wetlands, natural areas and trails," the report's summary states.

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin is estimated to contain about one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water resources and 95 per cent of North America's supply. The region is home to more than 40 million people in Canada and the United States.