OPENING WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS
Saturday, November 1, 1997
Chair Baldini
Welcome to Niagara Falls and to the International Joint Commission's 1997 Great Lakes Water Quality Public Forum. It's heartening to see you here this morning. I know that many of you probably still prefer to be out in the corridors because that's where we get most of our discussion and catch up on what's going on in the areas, but we appreciate you coming in and sitting down.
My name is Tom Baldini, and I am the Chair of the U.S. Section of the International Joint Commission for Canada and the United States. Let me introduce to you, my colleagues who are here also today. I'll start on my far left -- Frank Murphy, Canadian Commissioner from Vancouver; Susan Bayh, U.S. Commissioner from Indiana; Pierre Béland, Canadian Commissioner from Montreal; Chairperson, Chairman Leonard Legault of the Canadian Section; Alice Chamberlin from New Hampshire, U.S. Commissioner.
We are here today for three reasons: First we're here to hear from the governments about progress under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement [GLWQA/Agreement]. And as you know, under the terms of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement the governments undertake programs and report on that progress. In the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference [SOLEC] Governments provide an opportunity to learn about actual environmental conditions. The most recent conference was held in November 1996 and governments released their 1997 State of the Lakes report about a month ago.
As a complement to SOLEC today, we will hear from governments about Agreement progress from a program and policy perspective.
Secondly, we're here in Niagara Falls to hear from our boards. We have four boards that provide advice to us about Agreement matters, specifically, the Great Lakes Water Quality Board, the Science Advisory Board, the International Air Quality Advisory Board and the Council of Great Lakes Research Managers. The boards have already provided detailed advice to us in their 1995-97 Priorities reports, and copies of those are available at the desk. It's this document here and they are out front. We would appreciate it if you would pick this up and review those.
Tomorrow morning, our four boards will focus on critical Great Lakes issues; issues which must be addressed and resolved, if all of us are to fulfill the promises in the Agreement. The boards are looking for your feedback.
Thirdly, we are here today and tomorrow to hear from you, the public. This is an Agreement Public Forum, and for us -- the Commission -- to fulfill our obligations under the Agreement, we need your insight and your advice. Without your voice, we cannot do our job.
And what is that job? Through the Agreement as stated in Article II, the governments of our two countries committed "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem." Under the Agreement we -- the Commission -- assess the adequacy of programs and progress to fulfill that purpose. We provide our evaluation and assessment to governments through our biennial report. We will prepare our next biennial report -- our ninth -- early in the new year.
That report will be based upon the advice and insight that we have received during the past two years through a variety of means. Our program is designed to ensure that we consult with the widest range of people possible. We have focused on interaction and dialogue, to ensure that we consult, not just give and receive information.
During the past two years, we have held specific sessions with industry, labor, Native Americans and First Nations. We have held public meetings on topics of particular interest, such as pesticides and human health. We have focused on Remedial Action Plans, and Lakewide Management Plans. We have expressed our concerns about the adequacy of Great Lakes science and research. We have asked for -- and received -- detailed written advice about Agreement progress. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say that we have received a lot of excellent advice. In fact, we have more than 40 reports and documents that will contribute to the formulation of our assessment of Agreement progress. A partial list of these is available at the registration desk, and many are available on our web site.
But, to carry out our responsibilities, we must hear from you. That is why we are here today and tomorrow, to solicit that input.
Let me explain how these two days are going to be organized. This morning we are going to receive a brief report on a roundtable that we held yesterday in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We will then turn the floor over to the governments, who will report on progress and programs. We understand that there will be time for questions and answers from the group for the government officials.
This afternoon after lunch we will hear from you. Part of the time will be an open microphone, and part of the time allocated to specific groups. We opted for this allocation in order to accommodate the schedule of some of the people who want to speak, and more importantly, to make more efficient use of the time available to hear from you.
Tomorrow morning, we will start with presentations by our four boards at 9:00 a.m., and then return to the open microphone format again, with some time slots allocated for short presentations. Also tomorrow, immediately following lunch we will be making an announcement on a major policy paper that we have delivered to the governments. As some of you may know, the two governments when the Prime Minister and President met in April, they gave us a specific charge. We have responded to that, we have met with the governments. That report will be issued publicly on Monday, so we are issuing it here tomorrow to you, to have a preview. The Commissioners will review that with you tomorrow after lunch.
The procedure to make a presentation is quite straightforward, and the same as we have used in previous years. At the registration desk, you will find speaker request cards which I think some of you have probably identified. Just fill these out and return them to the person at the desk. We will then call you, giving you a bit of a "heads up" by announcing three or four speakers, so you can come to the microphone. Recognizing your schedule, please indicate on the card your time preference to speak, and we will try to accommodate you so that you can speak at that time.
That is probably more than enough introduction for the next two days. But I do however, have two other things that I do want to cover with you before we get on to the presentations.
First, at 4 o'clock this afternoon, we will unveil a plaque commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Agreement. The plaque is on a boulder, and under the boulder we have buried a time capsule, containing our vision of the future. The capsule will be unearthed on the 50th Anniversary of the Agreement, in the year 2022. Starting at 3:30 today, bus transportation from in front of this conference centre [Ameri-Cana] and back will be provided for those who would like to attend. More specific information regarding the bus schedule is also at the registration desk, along with maps.
This evening we will hold a celebratory dinner which will provide an opportunity for us to reflect on our numerous accomplishments over the past quarter century, and also to energize our self for the next 25 years, for that job and that journey that we have to complete. In keeping with the binational spirit, the dinner will be held across the river at Niagara Falls, New York Convention and Civic Center. The speakers tonight are John Garamendi, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and John Frasier, the Canadian Ambassador for the Environment. We will also this evening recognize Val Adamkus, recently retired from a long and distinguished career in public service, especially on the Great Lakes.
Again, bus transportation will be provided from here to the Convention Center and back starting at 5:00 p.m.
Tickets for the dinner are required and advance purchase is necessary. However, we do have a few extra, and if you would like one we urge you to see Chuck Stoffle, who is either here or out at the registration desk right now, who will be at the registration desk during the coffee breaks and during the day, for you to purchase a ticket. But you will need a ticket for the dinner.
At this point, let me just also mention that there will be other activities. This is a no-smoking event. Rest rooms are out there to the right; my right, your left. With that, let me call on our next speaker who will be Dr. Pierre Béland, our Commissioner who will report on the Great Lakes Roundtable that was held yesterday in Niagara-on-the-Lake.