International Joint Commission

IJC to visit 12 cities for public hearings on IJC's interim report on the uses, diversions, and bulk exports of Great Lakes water

The International Joint Commission (IJC) will hold public hearings in Ottawa, Washington and 10 cities in the Great Lakes basin in September and October to solicit public and official comment on the interim recommendations contained in its interim report, "Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes," that was released on August 18, 1999. Private citizens, members of advocacy groups, representatives of industry, and federal, state, and provincial government officials will have an opportunity to express their views on the report and to suggest to the IJC improvements to the report and its recommendations for inclusion in the final report. Locations and times are provided below. Additional information and any changes will be provided later and will also be posted on the IJC's web site.

September 26, 1999, 1-4:00 p.m. Milwaukee, Wisconsin Midwest Express Center Ballroom 104	October 5, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. London, Ontario London Convention Centre 300 York Street London, Ontario (519) 661-5764 Room: Salon "A"
October 12, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Toronto, Ontario The Westin Harbour Castle - Business Centre 1, Harbour Square Toronto, Ontario (416) 869-1600 Room: Pier 4 & 5	October 12, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Detroit, Michigan Crowne Ballroom Hotel Pontchartrain 2 Washington Boulevard (313) 965-0200
October 13, 1999, 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Ottawa, Ontario Canadian Museum of Nature 240 McLeod St. (Corner of McLeod and Elgin) Room: "Le Salon"	October 14, 1999, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. Hall of States 444 N. Capitol St. NW Note: Panels will be making presentations from 10 to 3. Speakers from the public will be making presentations from 3 to 4. Room: 383-385
October 19, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Bayfront Quality Inn 180 Bay Street Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (705) 945-9264 Room: Main Room	October 19, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Gary, Indiana Marquette Park Pavilion 1 North Grand Boulevard (219) 938-7362
October 20, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Duluth, Minnesota Great Lakes Ballroom Holiday Inn 200 W. First Street (218) 722-1202	October 20, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Buffalo, New York Ellicott Room University Inn and Conference Center 2402 N. Forest Road Amherst, NY (716) 636-7500
October 21, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Montréal, Quebec Hôtel le Reine Elizabeth 900 boul. René-Lévesque ouest Montréal, Québec (514) 861-3511 Room: Salon Mackenzie	October 21, 1999, 7-10:00 p.m. Thunder Bay, Ontario Valhalla Inn 1 Valhalla Inn Road Thunder Bay, ON (807) 577-1121 Room: Scandia 1 & 2

All interested persons and organizations are encouraged to submit comment. Due to time constraints, speakers may only have the opportunity to summarize their comments (five minutes) during the public hearing. Written comment may also be submitted at the public hearings, or to the following IJC offices during the course of this investigation:

The International Joint Commission is a binational Canada-U.S. organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. It assists the governments in managing waters along the border for the benefit of both countries in a variety of ways including examining issues referred to it by the two federal governments.

On February 10, 1999, the governments asked the IJC to investigate the use, diversion and removal of waters in light of their concern that current management principles and conservation measures may be inadequate to ensure the future sustainable use of our shared waters.

In its interim report the IJC recommended that, pending submission of its final report under the reference, U.S. and Canadian federal, state and provincial governments should not authorize or permit any new bulk sales or removals of surface water or groundwater of the Great Lakes basin and should continue to exercise caution with regard to consumptive uses of these waters, in accordance with existing laws in both countries and the Great Lakes Charter. The IJC will issue its final report under the water uses reference in February 2000.

For more information, including the text of the interim report and updates on the public hearings, visit the IJC's web site at www.ijc.org and click on the "Water Uses Reference" button: