GLIN==> Mayors seek greater voice in Great Lakes/St. Lawrence issues

[Kirk Haverkamp <kirkh@glc.org>]

Title:

Media Advisory –  International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Mayors

Contacts: 
Claude Mailloux, 418-648-4674, camillosx@portquebec.ca
Brock Dickinson, 905-688-5601
Steve Thorp, 734-971-9135, sthorp@glc.org

See www.glc.org/mayors
Mayors seek greater voice in Great Lakes/St. Lawrence
issues

St. Catharines, Ontario -- Mayors of the coastal communities throughout
the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region recently came to St. Catharines,
Ontario, to assert a more active role in the protection and management of
the great natural resource at their shores.

The mayors, gathered for the 17th annual conference of the International
Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors, agreed to pursue an enhanced
advocacy role in both Washington, D.C. and Ottawa, Ontario.  Noting that
the need for mayoral and municipal leadership on regional issues has never
been greater, they adopted a resolution calling for the Association to develop
an expanded organizational capacity in order to increase its influence and
provide them with an improved capacity to coordinate, research and advance
their shared priorities.

“As those who live on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, the health, happiness
and fortunes of our communities and residents are directly affected by policy
decisions regarding these resources,” said St. Catharines Mayor Tim Rigby,
the conference co-host. “It’s imperative that we work together to ensure
that we step up and make sure our voices are heard when making these decisions.”
    
Rigby’s co-host was Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago, site of next year’s
conference. Delegates represented all eight Great Lakes states and the two
Canadian provinces bordering the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence system.  The meeting
brought together policymakers and opinion leaders from throughout the region
to address such issues as environmental restoration, water demand, waterfront
renewal, maritime transportation, homeland security and more.

Among the meeting highlights, the mayors urged the governments of Canada
and the United States to formally request that the International Joint Commission
address the growing crisis presented by aquatic alien invasive species and
to coordinate efforts to stop this ongoing threat to the biology and economy
of the Great Lakes.
    
The mayors also:

• Called upon the U.S. Congress to promptly enact the National Aquatic Invasive
Species Act of 2003 and urged the cities and towns of the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence region to adopt local ordinances banning the import, sale or possession
of aquatic invasive species such as the Asian carp.
• Urged the governments of the United States and Canada to give due consideration
to planning and investment in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence transportation
system, noting the environmental, economic and safety advantages offered
by maritime transportation
• Called for a large-scale binational initiative to promote environmental
quality and economic prosperity through sustainable land-use practices

As the world’s largest freshwater system, the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence system
is gaining recognition as not only a one-of-a-kind natural resource, but
also an economic force of global proportion. The system defines the recreational,
commercial and cultural identities of hundreds of communities in the United
States and Canada, and  fuels the multibillion dollar regional economy of
the North American midcontinent. 

The International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors was
formed 17 years ago to address areas of common interest to coastal municipalities
on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River,  and to act as an effective advocate
for policy development at the state, provincial and national levels. Over
the years the coalition has tackled many challenging issues such as beach
closings, fish advisories, invasive species, waterfront land use, stormwater
management, and water and air quality.

Led by a mayoral board of directors, the Association is staffed by the St.
Lawrence Economic Development Council of Québec City, Québec, and the binational
Great Lakes Commission based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

For more on the International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
Mayors, see www.glc.org/mayors  The full text of resolutions adopted
at the conference will be posted online at www.glc.org/mayors/resolutions/03
 

Contacts: Claude Mailloux, St. Lawrence Economic Development Council,  418-648-4674,
camillosx@portquebec.ca; Brock Dickinson, City of St. Catharines,
905-688-5601; or Steve Thorp, Great Lakes Commission 734-971-9135, sthorp@glc.org

###

International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors
Association Internationle des Maires des Grand Lacs et du Saint-Laurent
150 rue Dalhousie
C.P. 2268
Québec, Québec
GIK 7P7

  The International Association of Great Lakes and St.
Lawrence Mayors is a not-for-profit organization
designed to address issues related to the world's largest fresh water resource.
The vision of the Great Lakes Mayors is to form a bi-national coalition that
will actively work with federal, state and provincial governments to advance
the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem through development
and implementation of the comprehensive Great Lakes Protection and Restoration
Plan, and to become active participants in Great Lakes - St. Lawrence issues
relating to governance, economics and science.