You Are Invited to Attend Public Meetings of the International Red River Board
Gimli, Manitoba
Thursday, June 7, 2001
7:00 pm
The Fairmont Winnipeg
Two Lombard Place
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Friday, June 8, 2001
9:00 am
The International Red River Board would like to meet with the Lake Winnipeg fishery community and residents of the basin to hear your views on the existing and emerging water-related issues in the watershed. Two public meetings have been scheduled to provide an opportunity to meet with the International Red River Board, and for the Board to hear any concerns you may have.
The responsibilities of the International Red River Board include: continuous surveillance of water quantity and quality at the international boundary; an awareness of basin activities that affect the stream flows, water quality, and ecosystem health of the Red River and its transboundary tributaries; and provision of a forum for the identification and resolution of existing and emerging transboundary water-related issues.
Fisheries issues are expected to be a particular focus of the public meeting in Gimli. Lake Winnipeg, the recipient of runoff from the Red River watershed, is an important ecological feature in the basin that sustains, among other activities, a productive commercial fishery. The quality of the water flowing into Lake Winnipeg has a direct impact on this fishery, and consequently on some 21 000 people and 31 communities in the watershed most dependent on this resource.
The International Red River Board reports to the International Joint Commission, an independent binational organization established by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. The Treaty provides the principles and mechanisms to help prevent and resolve disputes, primarily those concerning water quantity and quality along the international boundary. The Commission acts as a single body seeking common solutions. In the Red River basin, it is assisted by the International Red River Board.
For further information on the public meetings, please contact one of the following:
Michael KowalchukCanadian Secretary
(204) 983-5500
Michael.Kowalchuk@ec.gc.ca John Giedt
U.S. Secretary
(303) 312-6598
giedt.john@epamail.epa.gov