Life after delisting: The Collingwood Harbour story

Abstract

The authors of Annex 2 in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement recognized that the federal governments needed to cooperate with state and provincial governments, and ensure the public is consulted throughout the development and implementation of the Remedial Action Plans. This article demonstrates how public involvement in Remedial Action Plans is much more than consultation, that it enables participatory decision-making and capacity building. The story of the completion of the Collingwood Harbour Remedial Action Plan and its subsequent legacy in the form of the Environment Network, illustrates that with the proper effort directed to citizen engagement and public ownership of this process, a legacy of entrepreneurial innovation can be achieved that builds the capacity to sustain environmental recovery in support of enhancing the community and the economy.