The First Century of the International Joint Commission

An essential introduction to, and overview of, the International Joint Commission and Canada-U.S. water relationships.

The International Joint Commission oversees and protects the shared waters of Canada and the United States. Created by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, it is one of the world’s oldest international environmental bodies. A pioneering piece of transborder water governance, the IJC has been integral to the modern Canada-United States relationship.

This is the definitive history of the International Joint Commission. Separating myth from reality and uncovering the historical evolution of the IJC from its inception to its present, this collection features an impressive interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners. Examining the many aspects of border waters from east to west The First Century of the International Joint Commission traces the three major periods of the IJC, detailing its early focus on water flow, its middle period of growth and increasing politicization, and its modern emphasis on ecosystems.

Informative, detailed, and fascinating, The First Century of the International Joint Commission is essential reading for academics, contemporary policy makers, governments, and all those interested in sustainability, climate change, pollution, and resiliency along the Canada-US Border.

With Contributions By:  Jamie Benidickson, Norm Brandson, Murray Clamen, Meredith Denning, Frank Ettawageshick, Timothy Heinmiller, Carolyn Jones, James Kenny, John Kirton, Gail Krantzberg, Daniel Macfarlane, Richard Moy, Don Munton, Emma Norman, Kim Richard Nossal, Jonathan O’Riordan, Alan Olson, Ralph Pentland, Jennifer Read, Owen Temby, Deborah VanNijnatten, Brittaney Warren, David Whorley, and Ted Yucyk

Murray Clamen is an affiliate professor in the Department of Bioresource Engineering at McGill University. He has over 30 years of combined experience in integrated water resource management with the International Joint Commission and Environment Canada

Daniel Macfarlane is an associate professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at Western Michigan University. He is the author of Negotiating a River, which won the Champlain Society’s Floyd S. Chalmers Award.

Foreword Acknowledgments Introduction Section 1: Beginnings From IWC to BWT: Canada-U.S. Institution Building, 1902-1909 David Whorley Construction of a Keystone: How Local Concerns and International Geopolitics Created the First Water Management Mechanisms on the Canada-U.S. Border Meredith Denning Section 2: From Coast to Coast The IJC And Water Quality in the Bacterial Age Jamie Benidickson The Boundary Waters Treaty and the International Joint Commission in the St. Mary-Milk Basin B. Timothy Heinmiller The International Joint Commission and Hydro-Power Development on the Northeastern Borderlands, 1945-70 James Kenny A Square Peg: The Lessons of the Point Roberts Reference, 1971–1977 Kim Richard Nossal The IJC and Mid-Continent Water Issues: The Garrison Diversion, Red River, Devils Lake, and NAWSP Norm Brandson & Al Olson The IJC’s Unique and Colorful Role in Three Projects in the Pacific Northwest Richard Moy & Jonathan O’Riordan Section 3:Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin The IJC and Great Lakes Water Levels Murray Clamen & Daniel Macfarlane The IJC and Air Pollution: A Tale of Two Cases Owen Temby & Don Munton Origin of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement: Concepts and Structures Jennifer Read The Great Lakes Remedial Action Plan Program: A Historical and Contemporary Description and Analysis Gail Krantzberg The IJC and the Evolution of the GLWQA: Accountability, Progress Reporting, and Measuring Performance Deborah VanNijnatten & Carolyn Johns Section 4: Legacies From “Stakeholder to Rights Holder”: Re-examining the Role of Indigenous Peoples in The International Joint Commission as the Third Sovereign Frank Ettawageshik & Emma Norman The Boundary Waters Treaty, International Joint Commission, and Evolution of Transboundary Environmental Law and Governance Noah D. Hall, A. Dan Tarlock & Marcia Valiante The Importance of the IJC John Kirton & Brittaney Warren The International Joint Commission: Continually Evolving Approaches to Conflict Resolution Ralph Pentland & Ted R. Yuzyk Conclusion Murray Clamen & Daniel Macfarlane

[A] fascinating book on transboundary water governance.

—Frederick H. Turner, Natural Resources & Environment

A welcome scale-shift in our knowledge and understanding of the IJC . . . [a] balanced and broad collection that will be of particular interest to historians of environmental diplomacy and the Canada-US border.

—Matthew Evenden, Environmental History

The First Century is a significant contribution to historical institutionalist literature on an important dimension of Canada–US relations and transnational environmental policies. Its contributors illustrate both the potential and conditions for cross-border cooperation, along with the multiple political and institutional constraints on such activities. As such, it is a rewarding study for academics, practitioners, and those interested in understanding the conditions for effective civic engagement in cross-border relations.

—Geoffrey Hale, American Review of Canadian Studies

Provides excellent analysis and coverage of the first century of the IJC

—Stephen J. Randall, Canadian Historical Review

This book will be the standard introduction to the IJC.

—Kurk Dorsey, professor and chair, Department of History, University of New Hampshire

This is one of the most valuable contributions to the study of Canadian-American relations in several decades.

—Peter Stoett, Dean, Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

In the Media

Great Lakes Flooding: The Warning Sign that Homes Must Be Moved, The Conversation

The Secret Savior of the US and Canada’s Shared Waters, The Great Lakes Echo