Review of the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Order of Approval

It has been 50 years since a comprehensive assessment was performed of water levels and flows regulation in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system. In April 1999, the IJC informed the two governments that it was becoming increasingly urgent to review the regulation of Lake Ontario outflows in view of dissatisfaction, on the part of some interests, with the working of that system and in light of environmental concerns and climate change issues.

In December 2000, the IJC established the International Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River Study Board to undertake the studies needed to evaluate options for regulating levels and flows in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system. The five-year, US $20 million study was released on May 31, 2006.

The IJC deliberated on the regulation options contained in the report as well as the public's comments on the report, and consulted the governments of the United States and Canada. On March 28, 2008, the IJC released a proposed new Order of Approval and regulation plan for public comment. See the March 28 news release and the video in which IJC Chairs Gray and Brooks, with regulation expert David Fay, describe the proposals.

The Commission held a public comment period on the proposed new Order of Approval, regulation plan and related matters, which ended on July 11, 2008.

Commissioners considered the views submitted and concluded that regulation should be based on a revised set of goals, objectives and criteria, specifically moving towards more natural flows to benefit the environment, while respecting other interests. In a letter dated September 4, 2008, to the governments of Canada and the United States, the IJC has proposed a one-year process with Canada, the United States, New York, Quebec and Ontario to resolve the outstanding issues and obtain the concurrence of the two federal governments on the future of regulation.

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