GREAT LAKES

February 24, 2010
A letter of welcome, also explaining the Ontario Council position on intra-basin transfers involving the Great Lakes, was sent to the Hon. Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Natural Resources

May 16, 2009
Comments are presented by Ontario Council to the Ministry of the Environment concerning the Great Lakes and the discussion paper, Healthy Great Lakes, Strong Ontario.

For a link to the Ministry of the Environment’s discussion paper, see http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envision/env_reg/er/documents/2009/010-6105.pdf

February 10, 2009
Along with CFUW National and 52 other organizations, CFUW Ontario Council sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama concerning the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

Unfortunately the two men did not talk about the agreement, but the organizers from Great Lakes United are pleased to have brought media attention to the issue, as well as bringing together more than 50 organizations to support the issue.

Oct. 3, 2008
President George Bush has signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact after its ratification in the U.S. Congress. This was the necessary final
steps after being passed by the provinces and states surrounding the Great Lakes.

July 10, 2008
From: Carolyn Day, Ontario Council, Water Issues
To: Myra Willis, President, CFUW Ontario Council
Subject: U.S. ratification of the Great Lakes Compact

I have just received formal notification from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) of the 8th and final ratification of the Compact Agreement and knew you would want to join in the celebration!

This means that all eight Great Lakes states have now ratified the Compact Agreement (the American parallel binding agreement to the Great Lakes Annex Agreement) - truly a milestone to be celebrated!! The Compact Agreement can now go to the US Congress to be ratified.

Since the ratification was announced, there has been:

1. A press release available on Senator Obama’s Senate website endorsing the Compact and announcing that he intends to be an original co-sponsor of the consent legislation.
2. An AP news article confirming that Senator McCain has endorsed the Compact.
3. A letter from Governor Doyle to U.S. House and Senate leadership announcing completion of ratification of the Compact and supporting Congressional consent.
4. A press release from the Canadian Embassy expressing the support of Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., Michael Wilson, for the Compact.

Carolyn

July 8, 2007
As part of our ongoing commitment to water issues and the Great Lakes, CFUW Ontario Council presented comments to the Great Lakes Binational Executive Committee and Environment Canada on the Draft 2007 Agreement Review Report on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

May 16, 2007
CFUW Ontario Council presents comments to the Ministry of the Environment on the Draft 2007 Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) [EBR Registry Number 010-0063]

Feb. 17, 2007
CFUW Ontario Council presents comments on the renewal of the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. For the Comments

July 21, 2006

THE LAKE HURON CENTRE FOR COASTAL CONSERVATION
4TH CONFERENCE ON LAKE HURON’S COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

Members from CFUW/Southport attended the 4th Conference on Lake Huron’s Coastal Environment sponsored by The Lake Huron Centre For Coastal Conservation. 

The keynote speaker was Steve Hounsell, President of Ontario Nature with workshop speakers being:

1. Dr. Jim Young, an environmental consultant from Kincardine spoke on Metereology and Air Quality in the Lake Huron Environment
2. Chuck Southam of Environment Canada spoke about the Water Level Changes in Lake Huron
3. Jodi Frye, Environmental Defence, made a presentation on the Blue Flag Canada program that offers international recognition for clean beaches, monitors improvements in water quality, develops public awareness of human impact on coastal environments, encourages sustainable practices and supports eco-tourism.  The Report

From the April 2006, Dates and Data:

 WHAT IS THE GREAT LAKES CHARTER ANNEX AGREEMENT?
     
For more than a year CFUW/Ontario Council has been a member of the Great Lakes Charter Annex Advisory Panel assisting the negotiating team from the Ministry of Natural Resources. Here is a brief explanation of the issues and the results of the successful negotiations between Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. Great Lake States.

Ontario shares the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin with Quebec and eight U.S. States (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin). For the past 20 years, the premiers and governors of these provinces and States have followed a set of principles set down in an agreement called the Great Lakes Charter. This Charter was intended to protect and conserve the waters of the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Basin (referred to in this report as the Basin). Renewed concerns over the years about proposals to export water in bulk led the provinces and states to sign a supplementary agreement to the GL Charter called the Great Lakes Charter Annex in 2001. It committed the 10 provinces and states to develop agreements that would provide better protections for the Basin.

There are two Great Lakes Charter Agreements: the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement which is a good-faith agreement between the two provinces, and the eight States, and the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact which is a binding compact between the eight States.

All levels of government in Canada and the Unites States share a responsibility to protect and conserve the waters in the Basin. However, the Ontario government was concerned that the U.S. states outside of the Basin may have an interest in gaining access to Great Lakes waters and erode the protective provisions already in place between the two countries.  Ontario’s laws already met most of the requirements of the Charter Annex agreements and their underlying objective throughout the negotiations was to seek similar legislative protection for the Basin from all Great Lakes jurisdictions.
           
The first draft of the Agreement was released in July 2004. Unfavorable public response to the agreement, as well as the advice of the Annex Advisory Panel saw Ontario go back to the table seeking a no diversions agreements and better conservation. A second draft was introduced to the public in June 2005. Continued meetings with the public, input from the First Nations and other stakeholders resulted eventually in the final Agreement being signed on December 13th, 2005 by the 8 Great Lake States, Ontario and Quebec (individually referred to as a Party). It provides strong new protections for the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin waters.
           
NOTE: Twenty per cent of the world’s fresh water supply is contained in the Great Lakes Basin!
           
Each of the two Provinces and eight Great Lakes States must now pass legislation to put into place the new protections for the Basin. The legislation in all jurisdictions:

1. is founded on the principles of ecosystem protection, a precautionary approach, climate change concerns and uncertainties, and the recognition of the impact of cumulative uses.
2. bans diversions with rare but strictly regulated exceptions, such as for
1. straddling communities;
2. straddling counties; and
3. intra-basin transfers.
3. requires each Party to make publicly available all applications for withdrawals, diversions and consumptive use that are subject to management and regulation under this Agreement and to make publicly available the record of these decisions.
4. strengthens water conservation and efficiency.  Within 2 years, each Party will develop its own water conservation and efficiency programs through regional collaboration. These programs will be assessed annually by each Party and every 5 years by the Regional Body. These assessments will be made available to the public.
5. provides for the development of a collaborative strategy with other Parties to strengthen the scientific basis for sound water management and decision-making.
6. undertakes to resolve any disputes between Parties under this Agreement in a conciliatory, co-operative and harmonious manner.
7. provides a stronger voice for Ontario, its citizens and First Nations in the regional review of water-use proposals by other jurisdictions for exceptions to the prohibition against diversions.
8. formally recognizes the authority of the federal governments and the International Joint Commission under the Boundary Waters Treaty, which remain unchanged.

Jan. 26, 2006

Members of the Great Lakes Charter Annex Advisory Panel, of which Ontario Council is a member, met.  The Report

Dec. 13, 2005

The Great Lakes Annex Implementing Agreement was signed by the Great Lakes Premiers and Governors. 

August 29, 2005

CFUW/Ontario Council submits comments on the second round of discussions on the Great Lakes Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement and Great Lakes Basin Water Resources Compact (Agreements to implement the Great Lakes Charter Annex).

Dec. 6, 2004

CFUW/Ontario Council invited to become a member of the Great Lakes Charter Annex Advisory Panel of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Oct.15, 2004

CFUW/Ontario Council submits comments on the July 19th, 2004 Draft Great Lakes Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement.

External Links:

Canadian Environmental Legal Association’s collection of materials on the Great Lakes www.cela.ca/coreprograms/detail.shtml?x=1906