ORlElNp MA PO LI C I EE CANADIAN SECTION I. INTERNATIONALJO~NT cOMMlB8lON INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION HANDBOOK ON ORIGIN, MANDATE, FUNCTIONS, STRUCTURE, PROCEDURES, POLICIES, PRACTICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES SEPTEMBER 2000 © International Joint Commission, Canadian Section TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................1 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN .................................1 III. MISSION STATEMENT AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES .........................3 MISSION STATEMENT ....................................................4 GUIDING PRINCIPLES ....................................................4 IV. MANDATE AND FUNCTIONS .............................................5 THE BOUNDARY WATERS TREATY OF 1909 ...................................5 OTHER BILATERAL TREATIES, CONVENTIONS AND AGREEMENTS ................15 The Lake of the Woods Convention and Protocol of 1925 ...............15 The Rainy Lake Convention of 1938 .................................16 The Treaty on the Diversion of the Niagara River of 1950 ...............16 The Columbia River Treaty of 1961 .................................17 The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1978 ...................18 The Agreement for Water Supply and Flood Control in the Souris River Basin of 1989 ...................................................27 The Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement of 1991 ..............28 ALERTING FUNCTION ....................................................29 V. RULES OF PROCEDURE .................................................30 VI. STRUCTURE ...........................................................35 COMMISSIONERS .......................................................36 COMMISSION OFFICES AND STAFF .........................................38 Permanent or Section Offices ......................................38 Secretaries, Advisers and Other Staff ..........................38 Expenses and Budget .......................................39 The Great Lakes Regional Office ...................................40 Functions, Responsibilities and Organization ...................40 Director and Staff ..........................................42 Expenses and Budget .......................................42 Procurement ..............................................43 Cost Sharing ..............................................44 Relations Between Commission Offices ..............................44 BOARDS, TASK FORCES AND SIMILAR COMMISSION BODIES ....................45 COMMITTEES OF THE COMMISSION ........................................48 i ii VII. POLICIES, PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES ..............................49 COMMISSION MEETINGS ................................................49 COMMISSION DECISIONS ................................................50 COMMISSION MINUTES .................................................51 APPLICABILITY OF NATIONAL LAWS ........................................52 RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATION WITH GOVERNMENTS ......................54 RELATIONS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS ..................................57 LANGUAGES ...........................................................58 CONFLICT OF INTEREST ..................................................59 IMMUNITY ............................................................60 APPEARANCES BEFORE LEGISLATIVE BODIES ................................61 FAMILIARIZATION AND INSPECTION TOURS ..................................61 APPLICATIONS .........................................................62 Applicable Rules of Procedure ......................................62 Application Boards ...............................................65 Orders of Approval ...............................................66 Interests ........................................................67 Applicability of Article VIII of the Boundary Waters Treaty .............68 Costs ..........................................................68 REFERENCES ..........................................................68 Applicable Rules of Procedure ......................................69 Reference Boards ................................................70 Impact of Commission Reference Reports ............................70 Costs ..........................................................71 Public Consultation ...............................................72 Reports and Recommendations .....................................72 HEARINGS AND PUBLIC CONSULTATION .....................................72 COMMISSION RECORDS .................................................74 PUBLIC INFORMATION POLICY AND PROCEDURES .............................75 PERSONNEL, FINANCIAL & PHYSICAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ................77 VIII. CONTINUING RESPONSIBILITIES ......................................77 GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY ...........................................77 Great Lakes Boards, Task Forces and Committees ....................81 Water Quality Board ........................................81 Science Advisory Board .....................................82 Council of Great Lakes Research Managers .....................84 International Air Quality Advisory Board .......................84 Great Lakes Regional Office .................................84 Annex 2 Advisory Committee .................................84 Task Forces ...............................................85 iii Biennial Cycles and Priorities ......................................86 Biennial Forums on Great Lakes Water Quality .......................87 Commission’s Biennial Reports to Governments .......................88 Response of Governments to Commission’s Biennial Reports ............89 Reviews of the Agreement .........................................89 Special Reports ..................................................90 Governments’ State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC) ......90 Charters .......................................................90 Great Lakes Charter ........................................91 Ecosystem Charter for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin ........91 Involvement of Quebec ...........................................92 AIR QUALITY ..........................................................93 International Air Quality Advisory Board .......................94 GREAT LAKES WATER LEVELS AND FLOWS ..................................95 International Lake Superior Board of Control ...................98 International Niagara Board of Control ........................99 International St. Lawrence River Board of Control .............100 ST. CROIX RIVER ......................................................101 International St. Croix River Board ..........................101 SAINT JOHN RIVER ....................................................101 RICHELIEU RIVER-LAKE CHAMPLAIN ......................................101 RAINY LAKE/RAINY RIVER/LAKE OF THE WOODS ............................101 International Rainy Lake Board of Control ....................102 International Rainy River Water Pollution Board ...............102 Lake of the Woods Control Board ............................102 SHOAL LAKE .........................................................102 SOURIS/RED RIVERS ...................................................102 International Souris River Board of Control ...................102 International Red River Board ...............................104 International Red River Basin Task Force .....................104 ST. MARY AND MILK RIVERS ............................................104 OKANAGAN BASIN .....................................................105 International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control ..................105 COLUMBIA/KOOTENAY RIVERS ...........................................106 International Columbia River Board of Control .................106 International Kootenay Lake Board of Control .................107 HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TASK FORCE .....................................107 THE IJC AND THE 21ST CENTURY .........................................108 IX. BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................109 iv I. INTRODUCTION This handbook is intended to serve as a reference guide, for both the personnel of the International Joint Commission (Commission or IJC) and other interested persons, to the origin, mandate, functions, structure, procedures, policies, practices and principal responsibilities of the Commission. An effort is made throughout to distinguish between procedures, policies and practices which the Commission cannot change (those mandated by legislation and by treaties, conventions and agreements between Canada and the United States) and those that the Commission can alter (its own Rules of Procedure, decisions and evolving practice). Most of the documents cited or summarized in the handbook are included in full text in a companion volume of appendices. So that each section of the handbook may stand largely on its own, some information provided in one section may also be provided in another. Cross-references are made between sections. Parts of the handbook will require periodic revision to remain abreast of change. This will apply in particular to section VIII on the Commission’s “Continuing Responsibilities”. II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN Water and water rights have been important issues in the relationship between Canada and the United States since the American War of Independence. The Definitive Treaty of Peace, concluded in 1783 between Great Britain and the United States, recognized that each country had jurisdiction over waters