Making Waves Newsletter March 2022

The Cities Initiative releases its newsletter, “Making Waves,” once per month. Stay up to date on current initiatives, important government programs, webinars, etc.

2022 Annual General Meeting

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is back again! The in-person meeting will be held in St. Catharines, Ontario on June 22-24. This will be the first time we will be able to gather in person since 2019 and we have an exciting agenda of speakers and topics to cover. We are also planning a number of activities that will give you ample opportunity to collaborate and get reacquainted with your fellow mayors. Members, register by May 15 to receive the early-bird rate. Register online | View brochure Our Host City: St. Catharines is the largest city in the Niagara Region, a vibrant city that offers so much to its visitors. Settled in 1780, St. Catharines is a key hub of commerce situated at the northern entrance of the Welland Canal. The city has also been called “The Garden City” due to its 1,000 acres of parks, gardens and trails. Hotel Accommodations: White Oaks Resort & Spa - The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative has secured a discounted rate of $199 (CAD) per night based on single or double occupancy plus all applicable taxes and a $15 (CAD) daily facility fee. Click here to book your room and enter Group Code: GLSLCI22 to receive the discounted rate. Conference rate expires May 20.

AGM Keynote Speaker We are excited to announce one of our keynote speakers for our Annual General Meeting in St. Catharines: famed aquanaut, ocean conservationist and documentary filmmaker Fabien Cousteau.   The grandson of legendary explorer Jacque-Yves Cousteau, Fabien continues to fulfill his family’s legacy of protecting and preserving the planet’s extensive and endangered marine inhabitants and habitats. As an accomplished aquanaut, business strategist and documentary filmmaker, Fabien draws from his experiences and knowledge to promote environmental discipline as a viable basis for cutting-edge solutions that strike a balance between regional and global environmental problems and the realities of market economies.

Welcome New Board Members During the February 8, 2022 Board of Directors mid-year meeting, three new board members were appointed along with a new member of the executive committee and a new Vice-Chair. Read more

Billy McKinney Mayor Zion, IL Gino Moretti Mayor St. Anciet, QC Catherine Vallières-Roland Vice Mayor Québec City, QC Maja Vodanovic Borough Mayor Montréal, QC Brad Bradford Councillor Toronto, ON

Mayor Bibb of Cleveland Joins the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative We are excited to announce that City of Cleveland Mayor Justin M. Bibb will join our organization. Adding Cleveland to our membership means that the large cities in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin are all now active members of the organization.    “I am looking forward to collaborating with my fellow mayors from cities across the Great Lakes to work on important environmental, economic and social issues,” said Mayor Bibb. “Investments in restoring and protecting our Great Lakes are critical for the future of Cleveland, the 40 million people that rely on them for safe drinking water and the health of our regional economy.” Read more

Welcome New Member Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON The Cities Initiative adds a new member! It is with great pleasure that we welcome Lord Mayor Betty Disero and the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Cities Initiative. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario and at the mouth of the Niagara River, the town is known for its wineries, scenic tree-lined old town and the summer Shaw Festival. Given the Cities Initiative’s focus on coastal resilience and the opportunities to build up a regional Blue Economy, Niagara-on-the-Lake is a great addition to our membership! “We are pleased to join other Niagara municipalities in the Cities Initiative and help drive the importance of the Great Lakes to our Region’s communities and economy. Whether it is ensuring that our residents can access our beautiful waterfront or protecting our residents and businesses from the impacts of climate change, I look forward to working with other mayors in the Cities Initiative to address Niagara-on-the-Lake’s pressing freshwater challenges.” Lord Mayor Betty Disero, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake

Resilient Coastal Projects Initiative Expands its Geographic Coverage This spring, the Cities Initiative will be launching an expansion of its Resilient Coastal Projects Initiative, which launched in fall 2021 with generous gifts from the Erb Family Foundation and the Fund for Lake Michigan. With a new $380,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we will build on our ongoing programs in Wisconsin and Michigan, expanding into coastal communities in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Read more

Next Steps for Water Equity Commission After completing a suite of recommendations to strengthen water equity in 2021, the Mayors Commission on Water Equity will transition to focusing on advancing its priorities under the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Biden last November. The Commission developed federal and state recommendations related to lead water lines, water affordability, urban flooding, and water workforce development. Read more

Mayors Advisory Council on Coastal Resilience Recruiting New Members If you are a coastal mayor who wishes to have an impact on coastal resilience for the basin’s shoreline communities, please consider joining the Mayors Advisory Council on Coastal Resilience.   Over the past year, the Advisory Council has been exploring topics around coastal resilience to inform the development of a set of recently approved recommendations that will direct the next year of activity. Throughout 2022, the Advisory Council will leverage these recommendations to develop action plans and begin implementing steps to improve resilience for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence coastal municipalities.   If you’d like to be a part of this process, we encourage members to reach out to Tori Graves, U.S. Policy Advisor, at victoria.graves@glslcities.org.

Wege Small Cities Sustainability Best Practice Award While large cities often have more resources to act, small cities – with populations under 100,000 – often do not. The Wege Award provides $7,500 to one Cities Initiative member city, with a population smaller than 100,000, to facilitate the protection of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and to further improve the quality of the water resource for future generations. Read more

Call for Resolutions - Deadline Extended Until April 15 Each year the Cities Initiative releases our resolutions to governing bodies and the general public notifying them of the important issues and initiatives we will be working on over the next year. These resolutions also guide us as an organization by directing us on a set of issues we will work on. To learn more about our resolutions and to see examples of past submittals, click here. This year's resolutions must be submitted by April 15, 2022. All submissions should be sent to kyle.hills@glslcities.org with the subject line "Resolution Submission".

2022 Webinars

The Cities Initiative will continue its monthly webinar series in 2022. Mark your calendars for the upcoming webinars. April 28: University of Michigan Graduate Students Present Research Findings on Resiliency Resources for Great Lakes Cities May 12: Canadian Federal Budget – Freshwater Investments May 26: Water Equity Calls to Action – Next Steps (U.S.) July 28: Preparing your Grant Applications for Infrastructure August 25: Innovations in Addressing Algal Blooms  September 2: Back to the Future – 50 Years of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement  October 27: The Blue Economy Series – Sustainable Waterfront Development November 17: The Blue Economy Series – Building Up Your Blue Tourism Brand December 8: The Cities Initiative Year In Review