The International Joint Commission has finished phase one of its expedited review of Plan 2014. The plan regulates the level of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The commission is now seeking public comment on its Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Adaptive Management Committee report. Comments can be submitted on the IJC's website until April 14.

The IJC directed the GLAM Committee to conduct the review in response to public concerns over Plan 2014 following the extreme wet conditions that caused record floods in 2017 and 2019. The purpose of the review is to determine whether possible improvements could be made to the regulation of the outflow of Lake Ontario.

Phase one analyzed the impact of high water levels on shoreline homes, marinas, commercial shippers and more. Phase two of the review will look at how Plan 2014 addresses extreme high and low water levels and possible adjustments to it. That's expected to be done by late 2024.

The feedback from public comments will be considered by the IJC when submitting its findings to the governments of Canada and the United States.