The International Joint Commission (IJC) reports it will be adding two new members to the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River (LOSLR) Board – one from Canada and the other from the United States.
Adding these new members will “be helpful to complement the existing work of the LOSLR board and in particular assist in their efforts to document the human and social impacts of recent flooding at the local and municipal level in order to enrich the board’s discussions and decisions” according to Commissioners.
The two additions will come from municipalities on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River and the IJC will also seek to appoint two public members to a proposed advisory group, under the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Adaptive Management Committee, if funding can be secured from the Canadian and US governments.
It is envisioned that the proposed public members would be able to provide knowledge on the upstream and downstream impacts of high water levels on local citizens and local governments.
The International Joint Commission was established under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 to help the United States and Canada prevent and resolve disputes over the use of the waters the two countries share. Its responsibilities include investigating and reporting on issues of concern when asked by the governments of the two countries.
More information can be found on the websites of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Adaptive Management Committee.
Photo | Lake Ontario at dusk: Keith Pomakis (cc)
