The next Great Lakes Public Forum (GLPF) will be held in the fall of 2022 in Windsor, ON, and is anticipated to be a three-day hybrid in-person-virtual event with the theme “Our Great Lakes: Past, Present and Future.”
As part of the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, Canada and the United States committed to holding the public forum every three years.
We are pleased to announce that Nancy Goucher, Knowledge Mobilization Specialist for the Water Institute, has been appointed to the Advisory Planning Committee for the upcoming GLPF.
The GLPF is a significant opportunity for both countries to discuss and receive public input on the state of the lakes and future binational priorities for science and action, which will influence the workplan for each country over the next three years.
It also enables the International Joint Commission to discuss and receive public input on the Progress Report of the Parties, which outlines the progress that Canada and the United States have made under the Agreement in the past three years.
In the lead-up to the event, this year’s host, Environment and Climate Change Canada has established an Advisory Planning Committee to seek advice and ideas from interested members of the Great Lakes community.
The Advisory Planning Committee is looking for ideas on:
- Keynote speakers, such as those who can highlight the global significance of the Great Lakes
- Side events that could be hosted alongside the forum to draw further attention to the event
- Professional hosts or moderators
- How to involve more people in the discussion, including marginalized communities
We encourage Water Institute members and partners to submit their feedback and take this opportunity to engage with the broader binational Great Lakes community. Ideas could include showcasing the work of researchers, learning more about collective efforts to protect and restore water quality, or hosting side events at a time and place when a significant portion of the Great Lakes community has gathered.
We welcome your input and encourage you to contact Nancy.Goucher@uwaterloo.ca if you wish to discuss the event further.
Listing Photo: A view of the Great Lakes from SeaWiFS satellite. True color. Satellite: OrbView-2. Sensor: SeaWiFS. Image Date: 9-17-1999. Image from NASA Visible Earth web site: visibleearth.nasa.gov