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THE CANADA-ONTARIO AGREEMENT RESPECTING THE GREAT LAKES BASIN ECOSYSTEM
2002–2003 BIENNIAL PROGRESS REPORT
Introduction
The 2002 Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) commits the governments of Canada and Ontario to working together, as well as with other groups and individuals, in the Basin to achieve the vision of a healthy, prosperous and sustainable Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem for present and future generations.
Signatories to the Agreement are the federal Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Environment, Fisheries and Oceans, Health, Heritage, Natural Resources, Public Works and Government Services, and Transport; and the provincial Ministers of Agriculture and Food, the Environment, and Natural Resources.
The 2002 COA is a five-year agreement that builds on the actions taken through previous Agreements. It focuses on the priorities for future actions and recognizes the need to continue to tackle the most pressing issues. These include the cleanup of Ontario’s Areas of Concern (AOCs), investments in initiatives to respond to lakewide issues, the reduction of harmful pollutants and increased federal/provincial cooperation on a lake-by-lake basis.
The 2002 COA differs from previous agreements in several ways. It was designed to be flexible, accountable and responsive. New provisions, for instance, can be added at any time to bring attention to emerging issues. Further, the 2002 COA supports the use of proven technologies and new solutions to improve and sustain the health of the Great Lakes.
In addition, this COA marks a new era of cooperation between the federal and provincial governments. The document clearly defines who is accountable for what and sets out the specific commitments of each government.
The 2002 COA is also more focused than previous agreements. It has four annexes that address specific environmental issues or management functions in greater detail. These are:
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1. The cleanup of the remaining AOCs within the Basin. |
Finally, the 2002 COA recognizes the importance of partnership in protecting and conserving the Great Lakes. It emphasizes that everyone who lives, works or vacations in the Basin has a role to play. To this end, Ontario and Canada have enlisted the support of local and regional governments, industry, community and environmental groups. The COA helps ensure that government programs are better coordinated and more responsive in their support of the projects of various partners. As a result, entire communities are mobilized to tackle pressing area problems, benefiting the whole Great Lakes Basin ecosystem.
The Biennial Progress Report, 2002–2003
This is the first biennial Progress Report under the 2002 COA. The report describes Canada and Ontario’s achievements in the first two years of COA and some of the hard work undertaken by governments, industries, non-government organizations and the public that is required to protect and conserve the Great Lakes Basin.
This report highlights the progress that has been made in meeting the goals, expected results and commitments set out in the 2002 COA. The report also describes some of the notable successes that have been achieved and provides an update of the work that has been completed or is currently underway. The report, however, does not constitute a complete listing of all the activities undertaken by the parties to the Agreement or by their partners.
The COA commits all parties to regularly produce progress reports on the Agreement as well as updates on the state of the lakes. The State of the Lakes Ecosystem reports are updated and published every two years in cooperation with U.S. federal and state agencies. The most recent report was released in September 2003 and is available online at www.binational.net.
Program Management
The COA Management Committee oversees the overall administration of the COA. The committee has two chairs – Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment – and includes representatives from all the participating departments, ministries and agencies.
In order to improve cooperation and coordination between government and interested parties, the COA Management Committee created the Great Lakes Innovation Committee (GLIC), a group comprised of representatives from municipalities, academia, forestry, fisheries, public health, conservation, industry, environmental, and other interested organizations. GLIC is mandated to bring innovative approaches to overcoming barriers and take advantage of opportunities to make progress on the COA goals and results.
An Annex Implementation Committee (AIC) was established, which coordinates the development and implementation of the multi-agency work planning process, as well as to report on the progress made under all four annexes. The AIC has established four taskforces to address specific issues, with eight federal and three provincial agencies taking leading or supporting roles in meeting responsibilities for the 181 commitments under the COA annexes.
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