Mayor Kapszukiewicz to Speak at Bi-National Symposium in Toronto

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will participate in a panel discussion Monday, Sept. 16 at a Bi-National Symposium focused on Biodiversity in the Great Lakes in Toronto. The mayor was invited to speak during the symposium by the Honorable Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswell. The symposium is in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite inside the northwest wing of the Legislative Building at Queen’s Park.

In light of the recent IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a small, invited group of leaders from the United States and Canada will come together to examine the implications of the report as it affects the Great Lakes region. The symposium begins with lunch and a keynote speech delivered by Eduardo S. Brondizio, distinguished professor of anthropology at Indiana University College of Arts + Sciences and Co-Chair, Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The Symposium includes substantive panels on how invasive species and algal bloom issues have been impacted by biodiversity challenges, and a panel focused on the ways that the diplomatic community can shape water policies on both sides of the border.

Mayor Kapszukiewicz will speak during the first panel, “Impacts of Toxic Algae Blooms on Great Lakes Biodiversity and Steps Toward Solutions.”