A Great Lakes Champion to Lead the Council of The Great Lakes Region into the Future

Vance Badawey Appointed President & CEO of CGLR Toronto, ON / Cleveland OH – The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) through its Canadian nonprofit corporation (CGLR Canada) is pleased to announce the appointment of Vance Badawey as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective September 15th, 2025. A lifelong advocate for the region and […]
CGLR Media Backgrounder – Document de référence pour les médias

Media Backgrounder
OVERVIEW
Purpose: To create the first sustainable region in the world.
Mission Statement: To accelerate the transition to a sustainable future by convening diverse perspectives and interests to address the region’s most pressing economic, social and environmental challenges.
Founded: 2013
Headquarters: Toronto and Cleveland
Council of the Great Lakes Region Announces New Board Members and Committee Appointments Following Annual General Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:TORONTO, ON and CLEVELAND, OH | August 15, 2025 The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR), through its Canadian nonprofit corporation (CGLR Canada), is pleased to announce the nomination of three new members to CGLR Canada’s Board of Directors. The election of directors took place during CGLR Canada’s virtual Annual General Meeting […]
Dart Storm Drain Advisory

$100,000 Grants Awarded to Prevent Plastic Litter from Entering the Great Lakes Dart Container-funded program supports stormwater solutions through the Circular Great Lakes Initiative Cleveland, OH—May 23, 2025—The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) has been awarded $100,000 in grants from Dart Container to disperse to communities to expand the use of stormwater filtration […]
Council of the Great Lakes Region – President & Chief Executive Officer

The Council of the Great Lakes Region (“CGLR”) is a leader in bringing government, business, academic, and NGO leaders together, as one, to explore and solve the region’s most pressing economic development and environmental…
Data and Findings from the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup’s 2024 Season Point to it Being the Most Impactful Yet

New technologies provide rich insights on plastic pollution and strengthen efforts to protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup (GLPC), a joint initiative of Pollution Probe and the CGLR Foundation, the charitable arm of the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR), is pleased to release data from its 2024 season. The findings showcase the initiative’s continued success in removing plastic and other debris from the Great […]
Mark Fisher, CEO of the Council of the Great Lakes Region, to become the first President of the Canada Water Agency

March 7, 2025 CGLR Foundation’s Senior Program Director, Lora Shrake, to serve as Executive Director on an interim basis Ottawa, ON and Cleveland, OH – The Council of the Great Lakes Region today announced that Mark Fisher will step down as President and CEO, effective March 14th, following the Government of Canada’s announcement appointing him […]
2024 Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum Event Recap

The Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) hosted its annual Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum, formerly the Great Lakes Economic Forum, from June 25-27th in Toronto! The forum’s name change reflects CGLR’s new strategic direction and focus on solving for sustainability and creating the first sustainable region in the world. This year, a partnership […]
Business Takes a Leading Role at COP26

“I am hopeful because companies like Dow are not only making commitments to address their own emissions, but are taking a lead role in developing new climate-friendly technology.” – Mary Draves, Dow Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety The United Nations Climate Change Conference, better known as COP26, took place recently […]
Sustainable Great Lakes: A Regional Assessment of Sustainability in the Binational Great Lakes Megaregion

For over fifty years, governments around the world, including in Canada, have discussed the importance of sustainability or sustainable development. One of the more prominent undertakings was the Rio Summit in Brazil in 1992, which led to the creation of Agenda 21. Subsequently, the Millennium Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2000, […]