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Windsor, Ontario, November 2, 2005

Key points presented at the public meeting

Welcome by Bill Baker, senior advisor to Windsor's Mayor Francis

• The health of the Great Lakes and their connecting channels is critical to the health of our cities throughout the region. The mayor has been actively involved in the Great Lakes Regional Initiative, and encourages all of Windsor's citizens to provide input to the IJC through this meeting, and in future weeks by letter, phone or email.

Public

• Our water is getting dirtier. We live at the base of Lake St. Clair, and we like to swim by our backyard beach, but the water has become more cloudy and there is a lot more foam on it. There are more weeds growing on the bottom, but fewer zebra mussels this year. We had five dead birds on our property last year, one this year. Many of our neighbors use the lake for garbage dumping.
  
  
• Since 1987 there have been several developments concerning invasive species. While much data has been completed on the costs from alien species, little data has been provided on the benefits of ocean ships that travel the Great Lakes. In a comprehensive study recently completed, these ships save the region's industries approximately $55 million (US) in transportation costs each year. They represent only 7 percent of the ships travelling the lakes, and the numbers of ocean ships continues to decline every year. Most ships bring steel in and take grain out.
  
  
• As the Agreement is reviewed, these statistics should be considered. If fines are put in place for ballast water discharge similar to those for bilge water, the industry will likely end their travels on the Great Lakes.
  
  
• Is the money saved each year by our industries worth the cost from invasive species? This has not been answered and should be considered as the Agreement is reviewed.
  
  
• The IJC could play a role in facilitating a process to help the US and Canadian tribal authorities be involved in the governments' Agreement review process.
  
  
• Walpole Island First Nation filed suit in 2000 and is proceeding to trial to try to obtain recognition of the nation's rights to parts of the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River.
  
  
• Fishing is still our primary industry. Water quality is essential to continuing the success of our source of income. We are very concerned about bioaccumulation of toxics in fish.
  
  
• We must be equal partners in the process to protect the Great Lakes.
  
  
• As a lake shore owner, the very low levels of Lake Erie are very troubling. Residents of Long Point have to obtain their own water source, and most residents have had to build new ways to get their water. Water quality and water quantity are integrally linked, and should be considered together.
  
  
• Drinking water quality in Windsor is supposed to be checked quarterly, but this is not completed, as shown in recent reports obtained from the Windsor municipal water treatment plant. Media articles have also summarized the damage to a variety of species, including birds and turtles, from persistent toxic substances and in particular organic methylmercury. Only inorganic mercury is measured by the Windsor plant, but it is the organic methylmercury that is causing damage to species throughout the food chain, including humans. This chemical must be eliminated from our water supplies, and signs should be posted along the river that the fish should not be eaten.
  
  
• Two different types of chromium should be tested in our water as well, and only one type is being monitored.
  
  
• A 200% increase has been recorded in infants being born without brains in this area. The wastes from mines flow downstream and are poisoning all of us. Lead shot used in hunting over hundreds of years has also leached into our lakes. These and other chemicals are poisoning our First Nation residents.
  
  
• Corporate farming is responsible for discharging wastes that include chemicals that mimic hormones, which are flowing into our waters as a result of the hormones being injected into these livestock.
  
  
• One to two invasive species enter the Great Lakes system each year, and they each change our ecosystem dramatically. The U.S. and Canadian regulations are not consistent and this must be changed to stop this damage. The lakes' native mussels are disappearing.
  
  
• Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes. The less water in it, the more we will see the damage from invasive species and pollution. Water quantity has to be considered from the perspective of climate change and global warming, since with warming there will be greater evaporation. The Pelee Islands are the world's only home for a species of snails and butterflies.
  
  
• Climate change is a very important issue and both countries need to be addressing this, as this is integral for water quality to farmers.
  
  
• Farmers in Ontario are doing their part to ensure water quality, through phosphorus exchange programs, no till farming and other practices. We have not used toxic chemicals for years. Larger farms are created because everyone is trying to make a living, and farmers buy at retail but have to sell at wholesale. We are respectful of regulations but would appreciate consultation as these regulations are created.
  
  
• As a riverfront resident halfway between Windsor and Lake Erie, there is good news to share. This summer there were hawks and falcons, and some have been nesting nearby. There were three pair of falcons nesting on the Detroit River islands this past summer. Commercial anglers have been catching their fill of fish, with few sightings of fish with tumors. Large groups of swans have also been sighted. The zebra mussels and goby fish are still an issue in the area.
  
  
• If the economic benefit to ocean shipping is only $55 million per year, perhaps it's time to end this shipping to prevent further introductions of invasive species.
  
  
• Most people aren't aware of the effects of batteries on water quality, and they need to be made aware.
  
  
• The St. Clair River chemical valley and Zug Island are two of the most polluted areas in the world. There are days when the smoke from the River Rouge plant turns from white to yellow to orange, and the smell is disgusting. Surely they have regulations they are supposed to be following.
  
  
• The younger generation is not aware of the issues facing the Great Lakes. The only advertisement for this meeting was in the Windsor Star, which most young people don't read. There should have been notices on the radio and on television. The IJC is one of the few good organizations between our two countries, and should be leading the way to educate the public about Great Lakes issues and what they need to be doing in their own lives to protect the lakes.

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