Government Releases Draft Agreements With Stronger Ban
on Diversions
TORONTO, June 30 /CNW/ - Revised draft agreements providing
stronger protection for Great Lakes Basin waters are being
released for public consultation, Natural Resources Minister
David Ramsay announced today. The new draft agreements would
provide a virtual ban on diversions of water from the basin
with very limited exceptions that would be strictly regulated.
"Ontarians told us loud and clear they wanted "no diversions"
agreements, and we took that message to the negotiating
table," said Ramsay. "The revised Charter Annex draft agreements
are much stronger than the drafts released a year ago. They
offer Great Lakes Basin waters the protection they need."
"I said last year that Ontario would not sign the agreements
unless changes were made to enhance the level of protection
for Great Lakes Basin waters. I can tell you again today
that the only agreements we will sign are ones that protect
the waters of the Great Lakes Basin and the people of Ontario."
Ontario, Quebec and the eight Great Lakes states are releasing
the revised draft agreements for a 60-day period of public
comment. The agreements would implement the 2001 Great Lakes
Charter Annex, in which the 10 jurisdictions committed to
protect and manage Great Lakes Basin waters through agreements
that set an environmental standard for decisions about proposed
water uses across the basin.
The revised draft agreements are tougher than those released
last year. They are not final and do not yet represent a
consensus. Once the public comment period has ended, the
10 jurisdictions will return to the negotiating table to
consider the public's input and strive for consensus on
final agreements. We remain optimistic that a consensus
can be reached on agreements that protect our shared Great
Lakes Basin waters.
"The people of Ontario care deeply about the future of
water in the basin, and are proud of our laws that ban diversions,"
said Ramsay. "Their commitment was vital to the province
seeking stronger agreements, and we are again seeking their
input as we move toward final negotiations."
Public information meetings will be held between July
5 and 14 in Windsor, St. Catharines, London, Kitchener,
Kingston, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto.
The revised Great Lakes Charter Annex agreements can be
viewed at www.ene.gov.on.ca/samples/search/Ebrquery_REG.htm
by entering EBR Registry Number PB04E6018. Comments are
welcome and may be sent to greatlakesannex@mnr.gov.on.ca.
Disponible en français
www.mnr.gov.on.ca
Backgrounder
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 30, 2005
PROTECTING GREAT LAKES BASIN WATERS THROUGH STRENGTHENED
AGREEMENTS THAT BAN DIVERSIONS
Protecting a Shared Natural Resource
- Ontario shares the Great Lakes Basin with Quebec and eight
U.S. states
- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
- For the past 20 years, the premiers and governors of the
10 provinces and states have followed a set of principles
set out in an agreement, the Great Lakes Charter, intended
to protect and conserve the waters of the Great Lakes Basin.
They have shared information on water use and consulted
each other on proposals for major water uses
- Renewed concerns about proposals to export water in bulk
led the provinces and states to sign a supplementary agreement
known as the Great Lakes Charter Annex in 2001. It committed
the 10 parties to develop agreements that would provide
more binding protections for
Great Lakes Basin waters
- There are two agreements: a good-faith agreement among
the two provinces and eight states, and a binding compact
among the eight
states. Provinces and states by themselves are unable to
sign treaties across international boundaries
- All levels of government on both sides of the Canada-U.S.
border share responsibility for protecting and conserving
the waters of the Great Lakes Basin. However, the Ontario
government is concerned that U.S. states outside the Great
Lakes Basin may have an interest in gaining access to Great
Lakes waters that would conflict with Ontario's efforts
to prevent diversions from the basin
- The draft Charter Annex agreements are intended to complement
and enhance existing protections for the waters of the Great
Lakes Basin
- The 10 jurisdictions released first drafts of the agreements
in July 2004. After listening to the public response, input
from Ontario's
First Nations, and the advice of its advisory panel, Ontario
went back to the negotiating table seeking "no diversions"
agreements and better conservation measures.
Current Draft Agreements Stronger Than 2004 Drafts
- Compared to the agreements released in 2004, the revised
Charter Annex implementing agreements provide strong new
protections for Great Lakes Basin waters. The 2005 draft
agreements:
- ban diversions, with a few strictly regulated exceptions
such as communities that straddle the Great Lakes Basin
boundary and the
boundaries between Great Lake watersheds;
- strengthen water conservation;
- establish a stronger new environmental standard for regulating
water uses across all Great Lakes Basin states and provinces;
- formally recognize the authority of the federal governments
and the International Joint Commission under the Boundary
Waters Treaty
which remain unchanged;
- provide a stronger voice for Ontario, its citizens and
First Nations in the regional review of significant water
use proposals
by other jurisdictions;
- are founded on the principles of ecosystem protection,
a precautionary approach, recognition of cumulative impacts
and
climate change uncertainties; and
- will build the information and science needed to support
sound decision-making.
Ontario Already Protects Great Lakes Basin Waters
- The Ontario government has passed strict laws banning
water diversions out of the province's three major water
basins - the Great Lakes Basin, the Hudson Bay Basin and
the Nelson River Basin
- The province also regulates water withdrawals, and has
brought in stronger measures to protect natural ecosystems
- As a result, Ontario's laws already meet or exceed most
of the requirements of the Charter Annex agreements.
Next Steps
- After the 60-day period for public comment ends on August
25, the provinces and states will consider the input from
the public and
strive to reach consensus on final documents. If consensus
is reached, the finalized agreements will be considered
for possible signing later in 2005
- If signed, the agreements would provide a framework for
each province and state to pass laws that put in place the
new protections for Great Lakes Basin waters. The United
States Congress would also have to endorse the compact among
the eight Great Lake states
- Portions of the agreements would be effective immediately;
others would be phased in over one year, five years, or
10 years.
Public Information Meetings
- Members of the public can learn more about the revised
draft agreements on the ministry's Great Lakes Charter Annex
website
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/water/greatlakes/index.html or at
eight meetings across the province. All meetings will run
from 7 to 9 p.m.
City |
Date |
Location |
Windsor |
July 5 |
Cleary International Centre
201Riverside Drive West |
St. Catharines |
July 5 |
Quality Hotel Parkway Convention Centre
327 Ontario Street |
London |
July 6 |
Best Western Lamplighter Inn & Conference Centre
591 Wellington Drive Road |
Kitchener |
July 7 |
Delta Kitchener
105 King Street East |
Kingston |
July 7 |
Four Points Sheraton
285 King Street East |
Thunder Bay |
July 11 |
Travelodge Hotel Airlane
698 West Arthur Street |
Sault Ste. Marie |
July 12 |
Holiday Inn Waterfront
208 St. Mary's River Drive |
Toronto |
July 14 |
Metro Hall
55 John Street |
- Comments may be sent to greatlakesannex@mnr.gov.on.ca
or by mail to:
Great Lakes Charter Annex
Water Resources Section
Lands and Waters Branch
300 Water Street, 5th Floor
Peterborough, ON K9J 8M5
The Great Lakes Basin
- The Great Lakes Basin is the watershed of the Great Lakes,
and of the St. Lawrence River upstream from Trois-Rivières,
Québec. The basin includes the areas around each
body of water in which water drains toward the Great Lakes
or the St. Lawrence River. Twenty per cent of the world's
freshwater and 95 per cent of North America's surface freshwater
supply is contained in the basin.
List of Ontario's Advisory Panel Members follows
Contact:
Rob Messervey
Ministry of Natural Resources
705-755-1278
Media calls only:
-----------------
Steve Payne
Ministry of Natural Resources
416-314-2103
Disponible en français
www.mnr.gov.on.ca
Fact Sheet
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 30, 2005
LIST OF ONTARIO'S ADVISORY PANEL MEMBERS
Advisory Panel
Partner |
Representative |
AGCare |
Greg Hannam
|
Aggregate Producers Association Of Ontario Carol
Hochu |
Peter White
|
Alliance of Ontario Food Processors |
Jane Graham
|
Canadian Bottled Water Association |
Elizabeth Griswold
|
Canadian Chemical Producers' Association |
Norm Hubbel
|
Canadian Environmental Law Association Sarah Miller |
Paul Muldoon
|
Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy
|
Anne Mitchell
|
Canadian Plastics Industry Association |
Serge Lavoie
|
Canadian Steel Producers Association |
Bruce Boyd
|
Canadian Water and Wastewater Association |
Kara Parisien
|
Canadian Water Resources Association |
Ed Gazendam
Craig Mather |
City of Toronto |
Michael D'Andrea
|
Conservation Council of Ontario |
Chris Winter
|
Conservation Ontario |
Larry Field
Nicole Carter |
Ducks Unlimited Canada |
Mark Bassingthwaite
Jim Anderson |
Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations |
Kelly Warner
Terry Reeser |
Federation of Ontario Naturalists |
Gregor Beck
|
Georgian Bay Association |
Mary Muter
|
Great Lakes United |
Derek Stack
John Jackson |
Nature Conservancy Canada |
James Duncan
|
Niagara on the Lake Irrigation Advisory Committee |
Austin Kirkby
Henry Bennemeer |
Ontario Clean Water Agency |
Glen Lang
|
Ontario Farm Environmental Coalition |
Ron Bonnett
|
Ontario Federation of Agriculture |
Betty Semeniuk
Tina Shankula |
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters |
Dave Brown |
Ontario Forest Industries Association |
Jamie Lim |
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
|
Art Smith Madeline Mills |
Ontario Golf Superintendents Association |
Doug Breen |
Ontario Groundwater Association |
Earl Morwood
|
Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Association |
David Milton
|
Ontario Marina Operators Association |
Al Donaldson
|
Ontario Mining Association |
Peter McBride
|
Ontario Municipal Water Association |
Mayor Deb Shewfeld
Ken Hunter |
Ontario Power Generation |
Bob Yap
Deborah LeBlanc |
Ontario Water Power Association |
Paul Norris |
Pollution Probe |
Rick Findlay
Betty Papa |
Sierra Club of Canada |
Elizabeth May
Dan McDermott |
Sierra Legal Defence Fund |
Robert Wright
|
St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation |
Luc Lefevre
|
University of Windsor Faculty of Law |
Marcia Valiante
|
Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation |
Linda Nowlan
|
Munk Centre for International Studies |
Adele Hurley
|
Association of Municipalities of Ontario |
Debbie Korolnek
Lloyd Lemons |
Canadian Petroleum Producers Institute |
Faith Goodman |
Region of Waterloo |
Thomas Schmidt
|
York Region |
Debbie Korolnek
Lloyd Lemons |
Ralph Pentland |
Ralph Pentland
|
Soil and Water Conservation Society |
Jim Bruce
|
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper |
Mark Mattson
Tania Monteiro |
Canadian Federation of University Women-Ontario
Council |
Carolyn Day
Linda McGregor |
First Nation Representatives:
Walpole First Nation - COO Portfolio
Holder |
Chief Dean Jacobs |
Chiefs of Ontario Office |
Sue Chiblow |
AIAI |
Rolanda Elijah |
Union of Ontario Indians |
Al Dokis |
NAN |
Carol Ann Audet |
Ministry of Natural Resources
|
|
| Staff Responsible |
Kevin J. Wilson
|
|
David de Launay
|
|
Robert Taylor
|
|
Rob Messervey
|
|
Paula Thompson
|
|
Pearl McKeen
|
|
Danielle DuMoulin
|
|
Emily Chatten
|
|
Leith Hunter
|
|
Jennifer Tuck
|
|
Carolyn Dodds
|
|
Michelle Cowen
|
Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs |
Bill Carr
|
Ministry of the Environment |
Risa Schwartz
Marta Soucek |
Ministry of Economic Development & Trade |
Michael Helfinger |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ministry of Agriculture & Food Scott Duff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media calls only:
Steve Payne
Ministry of Natural Resources
416-314-2103
Contact:
Paula Thompson
Ministry of Natural Resources
705-755-1218
Disponible en français
www.mnr.gov.on.ca
To view the map and accompanying five fact sheets, please
visit
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30nr_05.html
FACT SHEETS:
1. History Of The Great Lakes Charter Annex Implementing
Agreements
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30fs_2_05.html
2. Summary Of The Revised Great Lakes Charter Annex Implementing
Agreements
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30fs_05.html
TECHNICAL FACT SHEETS:
1. Great Lakes Charter Annex Agreements: How Decisions Would
Be Made on
Proposed Water Uses
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30tfs_2_05.pdf
2. Enhancing Existing Great Lakes Protections Through Revised
Draft
Charter Annex Agreements
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30tfs_05.pdf
3. Comparison Of Draft Great Lakes Charter AnnEX AGREEMENTS
RELEASED IN
2004 AND REVISED DRAFT AGREEMENTS RELEASED IN 2005
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/csb/news/2005/jun30tfs_3_05.pdf
For further information: Media Calls Only - Ginette Albert,
Minister's
Office, (416) 314-2212; Steve Payne, Communications Services
Branch,
(416) 314-2103
