The International Joint Commission (IJC) has appointed eight new members from Canada and the United States to its Great Lakes Water Quality and Great Lakes Science Advisory Boards under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA).
Members are chosen according to each board’s needs for expertise and experience. Some of the appointments are a result of an open call for nominations sent out earlier this year.
The Great Lakes Water Quality Board assists the IJC in assessing progress by Canada and the United States to accomplish the goals and objectives in the GLWQA, identifies emerging issues, and completes research projects to recommend strategies to address complex challenges facing the lakes.
The board includes representatives from federal, state, provincial and municipal governments, Tribal governments, First Nations and Métis, watershed management agencies, nongovernment organizations, and the public. New members include:
- François Houde who is the Québec provincial representative. Houde is also the general director, state in the Environment Assessment Division of the Québec Ministry of Environment and the Fight against Climate Change.
- Elizabeth Kirkwood who is one of the United States public or at large representatives. Kirkwood is also the executive director of For the Love of Water (FLOW) and an environmental attorney.
- Monica Lewis-Patrick who is one of the United States public or at large representatives. Lewis-Patrick is also the co-founder of We the People of Detroit and co-author of Mapping the Water Crisis: The Disenfranchisement of African American neighborhoods in Detroit.
- Chris McLaughlin who is the Canadian municipal representative on IJC’s Great Lakes Water Quality Board. McLaughlin is also the executive director of the Bay Area Restoration Council for Hamilton, Ontario.
The Great Lakes Science Advisory Board provides advice to the IJC on scientific matters and research related to the Great Lakes and the GLWQA, and completes studies on priority water quality issues facing the lakes. Members include government and nongovernment research managers and scientific experts. New members include:
- Mic Isham who is the United States representative on the board. Isham is also the executive administrator of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. Isham also holds expertise in fish and wildlife management and has a strong Tribal and First Nations perspective.
- Karen Kidd a Canadian representative. Kidd is also a professor and Stephen Jarislowsky chair in Environment and Health, Department of Biology and School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University. Kidd has expertise in examining effects of municipal, industrial, and agricultural discharges on the health of aquatic organisms and fate of contaminants.
- Gail Krantzberg who is a Canadian representative on the board. Krantzberg is also a professor in the Engineering and Public Policy Program at McMaster University. Krantzberg has expertise in ecosystem rehabilitation and protection, Great Lakes governance, and the interface of science and policy
- Jérôme Marty who is a Canadian representative. Marty is also a project director at the Council of Canadian Academies who has expertise in freshwater ecology and integrated natural resource management
