The Chamber of Marine Commerce, which represents the entire marine logistics chain, is calling for commercial navigation interests to be represented on the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLRB), and that the “full extent” of the economic consequences of interrupting or delaying navigation due to unsafe water outflows at Moses-Saunders dam be properly recognized. The call comes as the first phase of the Plan 2014 Review comes to an end with a report expected this month.

Bruce Burrows, President and CEO of the Chamber of Marine Commerce, said: “Commercial navigation is one of the key users of the St. Lawrence Seaway – we absolutely should have a voice at the table, be part of the decision-making and be able to work in partnership with other stakeholders to come up with smart solutions.  There is a long history of being central to the decision-making process, and commercial navigation successfully collaborated during the high-water periods. We should all be working together in the future.”

With the creation of the Interim Advisory Group to the Board in November 2020, commercial navigation saw its contribution removed from the ILOSLRB. Commercial navigation is second in the Order of Precedence set by the Boundary Water Treaty in 1909, which the IJC must respect and, as such, commercial marine interests should be represented on the Board. Ideally, given the broad industry interests (including commercial shippers and exporters) affected by ILOSLRB decisions, there ought to be two seats at the table to fully address these user needs.  

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee (GLAM) is expected to submit its first phase report on the Expedited Plan 2014 review to the International Joint Commission (IJC) this month.  This first phase of the review is focused on the gathering of information and development of tools to manage water flow releases under extreme high-water level conditions, to help inform critical decisions by the ILOSLRB.  

A Martin Associates study, commissioned by the Canadian and U.S. St. Lawrence Seaway management corporations, clearly demonstrated that the economic impacts of interruptions to commercial navigation would lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, severe temporary loss of economic activity (ranging from $550 million to $2 billion depending on the time of year and length of interruption), higher prices for raw materials and permanent reputational damage and loss of business to competing, less environmentally-friendly modes like trucking and rail.  

Burrows said: “The St. Lawrence Seaway is a critical linchpin in a bi-national trade and transportation corridor that supports billions of dollars in economic trade by Canadian and U.S. farmers, manufacturers, construction companies, energy producers, and mining companies that produce goods and services for Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River residents. The pandemic has proven the real consequences of what supply chain disruptions can do to people’s lives and livelihoods. We need to work together to develop a smart, science-based plan to deal with the adverse effects of high water levels in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region.”