Changes made to international draft agreement on diverting Great Lakes wat

[CHIMO]

Changes made to international draft agreement on diverting Great Lakes water

TORONTO (CP) - American and Canadian negotiators have made "some significant changes" to a draft agreement to prevent large-scale water diversions from the Great Lakes, Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources said Friday.

The draft agreement, involving Ontario and Quebec and seven of the eight U.S. states that border the Great Lakes, outlines common standards for the use and protection of the water. A spokeswoman for the ministry said the changes were made earlier this month, and were based on the results of public hearings held last summer.

Earlier in the negotiations, pressure from thirsty American states forced Ontario and Quebec to dilute a ban on water diversion from the Great Lakes.

Ramsay said last June that he pushed hard to refuse any diversions, but had to make concessions for a handful of U.S. communities located partly inside the basin that have contaminated groundwater.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n111827A


Friday, November 18, 2005

Public consultations by the IJC on the governments' review of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

At the request of the governments of Canada and the United States, the IJC is seeking the public's views on how well the GLWQA has worked so far and how effective it has been. It has held public meetings in 14 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River cities and has set up facilities for you to contribute your views in many other ways. The IJC will be holding an innovative Web Dialogue from November 29 to December 2, and you can register for it now.

International Joint Commission -
Mission Statement
The International Joint Commission prevents and resolves disputes between the United States of America and Canada under the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty and pursues the common good of both countries as an independent and objective advisor to the two governments.

In particular, the Commission rules upon applications for approval of projects affecting boundary or transboundary waters and may regulate the operation of these projects; it assists the two countries in the protection of the transboundary environment, including the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the improvement of transboundary air quality; and it alerts the governments to emerging issues along the boundary that may give rise to bilateral disputes.

http://www.ijc.org/en/home/main_accueil.htm

Wonder when the proposed agreement will be made public. The wording in the article seems a bit weak. "help prevent other jurisdictions from raiding Great Lakes water,".