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Join us in Montréal October 19-20, 2001 for the The Public Forum is organized to energize the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence community to work in partnership with the IJC and governments at all levels to carry out the purpose of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the waters of the Great Lakes basin. It will provide the opportunity for all attendees to give public testimony in a new format allowing for more interaction and dialogue with the IJC Commissioners and government representatives, participate in discussion and debates on Great Lakes issues, and learn about a wide variety of topics. Attendees can also network with others from around the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence basin who have all come for the common goal of furthering the restoration and protection of the Great Lakes. Check out our web site for the most up-to-date information about speakers, workshop agendas, meeting materials and other ancillary events. MONTRÉAL PUBLIC FORUM SCHEDULE Thursday In conjunction with the Public Forum, the Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study Board will host a public meeting on Thursday evening, October 18, at the Delta Centre-Ville. For more information about this new 5-year study, check out their website www.losl.org and for the public meeting click on Upcoming events . Friday Workshops Workshops will be held all day on Friday, October 19. See workshop descriptions for specific topics and times. Reception Details to follow. Saturday Saturday, October 20 is designed to bring the entire Public Forum together for informative presentations and public testimony. 8:30 a.m. Welcome 9:00 a.m. Policy Challenges in Restoring the Integrity of the Waters of the Great Lakes Presentations by senior United States and Canadian policy experts. 10:00 a.m. Making Future Progress: Reports by the Governments of Canada and the United States 11:15 a.m. Public Questions and Answers of Government Presentations 12:30 p.m. Lunch break 2:00 p.m. Open Microphone: Public Questions and Comments to the governments, the Commission and to other participants 4:00 p.m. Meeting Adjourns FORUM INFORMATION QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO: In Canada Jennifer Day (519) 257-6733 commission@windsor.ijc.org Fabien Lengellé (613) 995-0088 commission@ottawa.ijc.org In the U.S. Jennifer Day (313) 226-2170 commission@windsor.ijc.org Frank Bevacqua (202) 736-9024 commission@washington.ijc.org FOR MORE INFORMATION For information on travel to and around Montréal, as well as fun things to do, contact Tourism Montréal at www.tourism-montreal.org or at (514) 844-5400 . Tourism Montréal will also have a table at the Public Forum. The Delta Centre-Ville hotel is connected to the Metro system making transportation around Montréal easy. MEETING SITE, ACCOMMODATIONS AND TRAVEL Meeting Headquarters - The Public Forum will be held at the Delta Centre-Ville , 777 University Street, Montréal, Québec H3C 3Z7 514-879-1370 . The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Montréal and the financial district. A direct passageway links the hotel to the subway and the underground city. It is just a few blocks from Old Montréal, the Molson Centre, Place Bonaventure and many museums and restaurants. Hotel Accommodations - This is a very busy time of year in Montreal and room availability is limited. Make your reservations early! The Delta Centre-Ville is holding blocks of rooms at discounted rates . Please contact the hotel directly and identify yourself as a participant in the International Joint Commission's 2001 Public Forum to obtain the conference room rate listed below in Canadian funds. Conference rates are available for Thursday through Saturday nights. Discounts on Travel - Via Rail has come onboard as the major ground transportation company for the IJC Public Forum. This means big discounts! Via is offering a 35% discount off the full adult economy class (CC9715), and 5% off the full adult VIA 1 fare (CG9715). To access these special fares, just reference the special Fare Notice numbers in brackets. Rates are valid from October 18-21 , for the Quebec/Ontario corridor to/from Montreal, Quebec. Delta Centre-Ville $169 single or double 777 rue University St. 1-800-268-1133 or 514-879-1370 or www.deltahotels.com Quality Hotel Montréal $119 single or double 3440 avenue du Parc 1-800-268-6116 or 514-849-1413 email: cm329@unihost.cd Hotel Travelodge $99 single or double (continental breakfast included) 50 boul. Réné Levesque Ouest 1-888-515-6375 or 514-874-9090 www.travelodge.com Friday All Day Workshops (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) Workshop on RAPs, ZIPs and LaMPs: Addressing the Threat to Community and Ecosystem What do we do about it, and is there an urgency? These are the questions being asked during this workshop, which addresses the challenges of assessing the impact of pollutants on community health. Health Canada has published reports on the incidences of mortality, morbidity and congenital anomalies for populations living in the 17 Canadian Areas of Concern. Researchers from the United States are collecting comparable data in the eight Great Lakes states. Collectively, these studies raise serious concerns about the impact of persistent toxic substances on human health in the Great Lakes. Come and learn the techniques for telling the story about your own community and contribute your views on the policies and programs necessary to protect human health in the Great Lakes basin. Friday Morning Workshops (8:30 a.m. - noon) Indicators for Societal Responsibility of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (backgrounder) Workshop participants will discuss possible indicators for practical use in societal responsibility of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem. Information prepared for this session is part of the ongoing process of indicator development by the IJC and the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/solec/ and http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/solec/ ). Proposed societal responsibility indicators will be distributed for facilitated discussion and other indicators, suggested by participants, will be considered. The results of this workshop will contribute to the SOLEC indicator development process in preparation for reporting at SOLEC 2002. Reducing Toxics in Urban Sewage This workshop examines the complex issue of reducing the discharge of various toxic substances into the sewer systems of large cities in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River basin. Case studies focus on the tough sewer by-law adopted in 2000 by the city of Toronto and the efforts of the Montréal Urban Community to control toxic discharges, such as mercury from dental clinics. The workshop is being organized by STOP, a Montréal-based citizens' environmental organization. The Impacts of Fluctuating Water Levels on the St. Lawrence River Ecosystem There are many concerns and issues arising from the fluctuating water levels of the St. Lawrence River. This workshop addresses the policies and programs that governments and others could consider in mitigating the damaging effects on the environment and society. It provides an overview of water levels in the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River system, with a focus on the St. Lawrence River, and includes an expert panel and general discussion on the impacts of fluctuating water levels. Friday Afternoon Workshops (1:30 - 5 p.m.) Source Water Protection Presented from a research perspective, this workshop provides information and discussion on the policies and protocols of various Great Lake jurisdictions for urban and rural well head protection and the latest research on drinking water treatment. Discussion will include the implications of raw water quality variability, source water quantity issues, and the ecological impacts of nutrients, pesticides and pathogens. The workshop is sponsored by the IJC's Council of Great Lakes Research Managers. Towards Sustainable Navigation In The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River System Navigation is an important use of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River system. Organized by Saint-Laurent Vision 2000, this workshop addresses environmental issues related to commercial and recreational navigation and trends toward sustainable navigation on the St. Lawrence River. Presentations and discussions address: the integrated management of dredging and sediments; vessel speed and shore erosion; results of an efficient consensus building action with the maritime industry; water level fluctuations; commercial navigation; recreational boating; and the role of St. Lawrence riverside communities. Traditional Ecological Knowledge Based on previous work of the IJC, this workshop addresses the traditional ecological knowledge of North America's aboriginal people. This knowledge provides an important perspective to the greater understanding of the Great Lakes basin ecosystem and to the overall management, protection and restoration of the Great Lakes. Click here to Register On-line