A series of stakeholder meetings were held in the summer of 2004. To facilitate these meetings, the Management Team for the GLSLS Study obtained the services of the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC). The task of SODES and GLC was to solicit comments and views pertaining to the study’s objectives and work scope.

The SODES and GLC are independent from the Study and currently act as the co-secretariat of the International Association of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Mayors. In this capacity, they have developed a strong binational working relationship with many important stakeholders in the Great Lakes basin and St. Lawrence River. These two entities, working together in a manner similar to their existing partnership, provide an effective mechanism that helps support the study partners in liaising with interested parties.

The main goals of the stakeholder meetings were to:

• Gather information and expertise from public and private sector stakeholders, especially as it relates to marine transportation and commercial navigation on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway system.
• Establish a forum for dialogue and information exchange on the study with interested parties from the following sectors:
  • Marine transportation sector
  • First Nations / Tribes
  • Industrial groups
  • Environment and waterfront groups
  • Municipalities
  • Universities and research institutes
  • Commercial entities
  • Recreational boaters
  • Other interested parties
• Solicit stakeholder comments and views on the study’s objectives and work scope.
• Document and transmit the findings and results of the stakeholder meetings to the Management Team and Study Team so that the information and opinions gathered can be processed by the study partners.

Approximately 500 organizations were contacted to participate in the meetings and encouraged to submit briefs, position papers and comments on the GLSLS Study’s context, objectives and work scope.

The five stakeholder meetings were scheduled as follows:

• June 3, 2004 Montreal, Quebec
• June 8, 2004 St. Catharines, Ontario
• June 15, 2004 Duluth, Minnesota
• July 6, 2004 Clayton, New York
• July 14, 2004 Chicago, Illinois

To facilitate these meetings, the Management Team developed a background document to provide information on the study's objectives and work scope.

Overall, the Management Team received a total of 73 formal presentations and 32 written submissions in the five meetings held in Canadian and U.S. cities. The involvement of all participating groups and individuals was very useful and helped us understand important issues and concerns affecting the future of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

Report on Stakeholder Engagement – February 2005

Hence, SODES and GLC produced the Report on Stakeholder Engagement. This report details the methodology of the stakeholder engagement process, identifies the groups and individuals that participated in the stakeholder meetings, and summarizes stakeholders’ comments and views. Those views are tabled in the formal presentations and the written submissions to facilitate comprehension.

The Compilation of stakeholders’ comments is also available as an MS Excel file enabling users to sort information by stakeholder names, comments or themes.

Response to the Report on Stakeholder Engagement – May 2005

The Management Team conducted a detailed analysis of the issues and themes outlined in the Report on Stakeholder Engagement. They attempted to address those areas that have direct bearing on the work of the study team and to explain or clarify how specific issues and themes are being integrated as part of the study’s multidimensional approach – incorporating transportation policy and economics, navigation-related infrastructure engineering and environmental science. Stakeholders’ comments and views frequently extended to areas beyond the study’s context, objectives and scope, particularly with regard to certain navigation and environmental issues. Management Team will endeavor to include as many issues and themes as possible in its analysis.

Here is the Response to the Report on Stakeholder Engagement, summarizing what each team intends to do with the comments received.

Quebec and Cleveland Roundtable Sessions– September 2005

The latest step in the stakeholder engagement process consisted of two roundtable sessions where an update was given on the activities of each Study Team: Engineering, Economics and Environment. In light of the bi-national nature of the study, these roundtable sessions were held in both Canada and the U.S. The first one occurred in Quebec City (Quebec) on September 13, 2005, and the following week on September 20, the second one took place in Cleveland (Ohio).

The purpose of these sessions was two-fold: to facilitate dialogue and information sharing with stakeholders and interested parties on the work being done as part of the GLSLS Study and to address the main issues and themes that were identified during the stakeholder meetings, while explaining how and why these issues and themes can or cannot be incorporated into the study’s multi-dimensional approach. The roundtable format was also chosen to promote communication and give stakeholders an opportunity to be heard.

The three study team leaders presented the activities undertaken by their respective teams, and provided an opinion, where applicable, on the key recommendations made by stakeholders regarding the aspects of the study that concerned them.

The following are their respective presentation:

• Presentation of David Schaff, Senior Engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Leader of the engineering Team of the GLSLS study.
• Presentation of Neil Kochhar, Economist and Policy Advisor at Transport Canada – Leader of the Economic Team of the GLSLS study.
• Presentation of Russ Smith, Senior Environmental Advisor at Transport Canada, and Jim Galloway, Environmental Engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Co-Leaders of the Environmental Team of the GLSLS study.

The Quebec and Cleveland Roundtable Sessions brought the stakeholder engagement process to a positive conclusion. However, Mr. Fortin and Mr. Wright reiterated that communication with stakeholders would continue after the information sessions were concluded. Although formal consultation meetings have now ended, management team representatives will remain available anytime to answer questions, speak about the study, etc.

You can consult our last Communiqué, which resumes the Sessions of information in Quebec and Cleveland.