Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United calls on the Province of Ontario to take the necessary legal steps to defend the promise of the Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt, starting with actions to defend the “in perpetuity” easements to which it is a party, on the lands in the Duffins-Rouge Agricultural Preserve, and Be it further resolved that Great Lakes United calls on the Federal Government of Canada and its elected representatives, as parties to COA to make its concerns known to the Province of Ontario with respect to the pressures that are coming to bear on the lands in the Duffins-Rouge Agricultural Preserve.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United calls on the governors and premiers of the Great Lakes basin to rapidly conclude their negotiations for an agreement pursuant to the principles of the Great Lakes Charter Annex (Annex 2001) and agree to a common system across the basin portion of all eight states and two provinces for managing human withdrawal and use of basin waters such that the basin ecosystem is protected, improved, and restored.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United call on the Province of Ontario to deny certificates of approval for the extension of the York-Durham Sewer System to King City and other area towns and Be it further resolved that in light of new information on impacts of YDSS expansion to groundwater flows, and to the ecosystems and fish dependent on those flows, Great Lakes United call on the Province of Ontario and the Federal Government of Canada to undertake a full, individual Environmental Assessment of the 2002 master plan for the York-Durham Sewer System.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United urge Great Lakes basin governments to create comprehensive, long-term energy strategies with extensive public input, addressing among other things: the environmental impacts of manipulating Great Lakes basin water flows to facilitate short-term increases in the output of existing hydroelectric power plants to meet temporary energy shortfalls, and the environmental impacts of new hydroelectric power dams, particularly those proposed in previously undammed rivers.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United urges the state, provincial and First Nations governments of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin to institute a moratorium on the siting fo new high-capacity groundwater wells within the basin until the governments have put into law and regulation:
1. A comprehensive means for assessing the ecological impacts of groundwater removal by high-capacity wells and,
2. A standard for judging the acceptability of such groundwater removal operations of “no significant harm” without reference to mitigation and,
3. A system of both indemnification and compensation for any harm that may at some
future time be discovered to have been caused by such groundwater removal operations.

Therefore be it resolved that Great Lakes United urges the provinces, states, federal and first nation governments of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin to put in place bans on new diversions from the individual surface and groundwater watersheds of the basin, such watersheds to e defined as small as scientifically justified, but no larger than major river watersheds.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the International Joint Commission is asked to fulfill the recommendations and objectives of Phase II of the Levels Reference Study for continued examination of the interests and issues identified, undertake science-based impact analyses of current and future water levels regulation plans, and release the results of these investigations to the public for review and input.

Retaining Strong Public Control of Water and Wastewater Services and Resources in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River

Backgrounder from the Council of Great Lakes Governors on teh Annex Implementing Agreements process.

One page factsheet on frequently asked Annex questions.