Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Public comment is open from Feb. 3 to April 3, 2026 to share input on Great Lakes water quality with the International Joint Commission (IJC).
The International Joint Commission is a cooperative group created by Canada and the United States in recognition that each country is affected by the other’s actions in lake and river systems along the border.
The IJC is bound by the Boundary Waters Treaty, signed by Canada and the U.S. in 1909 which provides general principles for preventing and resolving disputes over waters shared between the two countries and for settling other transboundary issues.
The online platform GLperspectives.ijc.org offers options for registered users to submit written, audio, or video comments and includes details for the IJC’s listening session at the upcoming Great Lakes Public Forum and series of virtual public meetings, an IJC release said.
Registration to submit comments is required, free and open to the public.
Every three years Canada and the United States publish self-report cards on their activities and the status of the lakes.
The Canada Water Agency and the US Environmental Protection Agency will discuss the latest State of the Great Lakes Report and Progress Report of the Parties at their Great Lakes Public Forum on February 4 and 5, 2026, online and at the USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office in Chicago, Il, the release said.
