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Synthesis of Public Comment >
Conclusion
There is no question that people are inspired by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, and this appears to have animated a great many people who took part in the Commission's events. "This is one of my favorite places on the planet," said one person said at a public meeting. Others expressed similar views:
I recently moved to Ashland, Wisconsin, because of Lake Superior. I love being around the water. The lake has so much majestic beauty that I find myself walking the shores, taking in the sights of the water. The bells clanging from the ships in the marina are music to my ears. If more is not done to protect our Great Lakes, our future generations may never be able to enjoy these fine lakes.
The Great Lakes can be considered as a treasure which is essential for human survival. Aside from providing many essential vegetation and life forms, its natural beauty adds to the quality of life for the basin inhabitants and a source of spiritual inspiration for all. Friends and relatives visiting from all over the world are amazed and jealous of the scenic beauty so close to where we live. We have lived here for 33 years and would not trade this place for any other spot ... .
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Because of sentiments like these, there was widespread appreciation for the public comment process was expressed from all the sectors that participated - state, provincial and local governments, non-government organizations and members of the public at large. A representative of a large binational organization put it this way in one of the public meetings:
I'd like to thank the Commissioners for holding these public consultations across the basin,8 as these public forums for comment recognize that citizens are equal stakeholders, capable of and responsible for affecting decisions and policies that directly impact the future of their communities, the quality of their health and their children's health. These forums ... exist as a vital component to the Agreement's review and, perhaps more importantly, as a first step in a renewed vision for the Great Lakes, one where the policies and experiences of the Great Lakes and the commitment of the Great Lakes citizens and governments can once again make an unprecedented effort to protect water quality ... and compel ecosystem restoration. |
A county commissioner made the same point more succinctly: "It's very important that you come out and talk to us and allow us to have some input. We find that to be extremely important." A member of the public, unaffiliated to any organization, had a similar sentiment:
| Thank you for coming to [our community]. For me, it's really comforting to know that you incorporated a public component into your review process, and that should be recognized and much appreciated. Frequently, that's overlooked when we're making decisions about community resources such as this, and I think it's an essential component of your work.
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The relative roles and responsibilities of the federal Governments and the Commission, respectively, were not always clearly understood. Most participants did appreciate that the two federal Governments are the Parties to the Agreement, that they will be undertaking the review and that the Commission was conducting public engagement activities on their behalf. However, a significant number seemed to think that the Commission directs activities to implement the Agreement and would be managing the review. The following comments are representative of this confusion and reflect the need for more effective communication by the Commission and the Governments:
We know that the Commission has worked very hard to clean up all of the non-point source polluters.
We're very hopeful that the Commission will be able to continue to work in the cleanups of these Areas [of Concern].
What are the consequences to the Commission ... if you don't follow the promises that you make to us [about reviewing the Agreement every six years]?
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At times, a sense of frustration was detected when some said there has been an overabundance of outreach initiatives in the basin, with insufficient evidence that the Governments have taken the public's views into account in developing programs or making funding decisions. At the same time, complaints were voiced that while the public is routinely asked for comments, it does not always receive the information it requires. As one participant put it, to loud applause: "What I sense is a little bit frustrating: A lot of times in these meetings, you're asking for input and we're asking for answers, and there's nobody ever there to give us answers."
For some people, frustration gave rise to cynicism that the forthcoming review would not make any difference. As one participant said, "I noticed that in 1987, there was supposed to have been every six years a revisiting of the Agreement. And with my calculations ... it's been three times that is has not been reviewed ... . 1987 plus six, that's 1993. Nothing was done. Add six years, 1999. Nothing was done. Add six more years, 2005. Nothing was done."
More broadly, though, there was real hope that the two federal Governments would pay attention to the ideas put forward by participants in the public meetings and other public involvement forums. As one person said, speaking on behalf of a large constituency:
All of these people have devoted their Monday night to coming out here, and I would certainly like to see these comments taken very seriously, because we certainly have put a lot of effort into this and there's lots of groups out here tonight that have done a lot of work on these issues and continue to do a lot of great work, and we want to see our work not be disregarded or not utilized.
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The Commission wishes to thank the over
4,100 people who took part in the public comment process.
In the Commission's view, the synthesis report is a
fair and even-handed reflection of the comments received
during the public meetings, Web dialogue and other consultation
activities. Since a number of participants prepared
detailed, substantive comments on the forthcoming review
of the Agreement, however, the Commission also notes
that the full, unedited record of public comment is
available on CD-ROM and strongly encourages Governments
and the public to examine this record.
8 At all public meetings, the presiding Commissioners made clear that the public consultations were being undertaken at the request of the two federal governments.
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