Ann Arbor, Mich. – At its 2026 Annual Meeting, held last week in Toronto, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) highlighted opportunities for binational collaboration and coordinated action to protect the Great Lakes and strengthen the region’s economy.

“The Great Lakes are a shared resource, and protecting them requires sustained cooperation between states and provinces and across borders,” said GLC Chair Timothy Bruno, Great Lakes Program Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection of Pennsylvania. “Our meeting provided an important opportunity to strengthen partnerships and reaffirm our shared commitment to protecting the health of the Great Lakes while supporting the communities and economies that depend on them.”

During the meeting, the Commission adopted a resolution calling for continued investment and stronger coordination to combat harmful algal blooms (HABs) across the Great Lakes basin. The resolution recognizes progress in reducing HABs and supports increased federal funding to reduce nutrient pollution, improve agricultural conservation practices, reduce erosion, and protect and restore wetlands.

The Commission also voted to endorse a suite of recommendations to address water workforce challenges and strengthen the water sector for generations to come. More than two million people make up the water workforce nationwide, fulfilling a wide array of critical roles – such as treating drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater; constructing and maintaining water infrastructure; managing water rates and utility revenues; educating the public on water quality; and more – but estimates indicate that about one-third of the workforce in the U.S. is nearing retirement age, with limited staff currently available to replace them.

Over the three-day convening, Commissioners and partners explored a broad range of additional issues affecting the Great Lakes region. Discussions highlighted Canadian federal and provincial water management policies and agreements, as well as emerging water quality challenges stretching from Lake Superior to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Participants also received updates on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a critical effort to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and considered efforts to control invasive mussels and restore lake whitefish populations. Other sessions examined opportunities to strengthen the region’s maritime economy through shipbuilding, improve the management and beneficial reuse of dredged material, and sustain the long-term success of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

The meeting also featured a presentation by the Deshkan Ziibiing Indigenous Land Guardians of the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, highlighting Indigenous leadership in stewardship and conservation. Attendees also had the opportunity to experience the Biinaagami Giant Floor Map — an interactive, augmented-reality journey that brings the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River to life. On the opening day of the meeting, participants toured waterfront revitalization efforts at Tommy Thompson Park and the Don River, and the GLC planted a native red oak in Biidaasige Park. As a founding member of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Trees and Green Events initiatives, the GLC has committed to using sustainable practices at its meetings and supporting the initiative’s goal of planting 250 million trees in the Great Lakes basin by 2033. 

“Great Lakes Commission meetings bring together diverse perspectives from across the basin,” said GLC Executive Director Erika Jensen. “From addressing emerging environmental challenges to supporting sustainable economic development, the GLC is proud to provide a forum for our party jurisdictions and partner organizations to identify common priorities and advance collaborative solutions.”

The GLC’s next meeting will be its 2027 Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day, scheduled for March 2-4, 2027, in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.glc.org/meetings/.