The Mayor of Quinte West is pleased with a meeting local municipal politicians had with the Deputy Prime Minister and Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis.

Jim Harrison was joined by his Deputy Mayor Jim Alyea, Prince Edward County Mayor Steve Ferguson and Belleville Councillor Bill Sandison in Ottawa on Wednesday as they sat down with Ellis and Chrystia Freeland.

They feel spring flooding could become a frequent event in the province if the International Joint Commission doesn't change its strategy governing water levels on Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River, and the Quinte West Mayor said they asked for additional members on the agency from Ontario.
 
Freeland said she would look into the local delegation's concerns, and report back.
 
Harrison said having more representation from the province could influence the decisions the commission makes, since the Moses Saunders Dam on the Saint Lawrence, near Cornwall,  is used to control water levels on the river and Lake Ontario.  

Alyea was also impressed the Deputy Prime Minister invited a representative from Global Affairs Canada, who deals with many cross-border issues, and he took a lot of notes during the meeting. 

"With our long border, Canada and the US share many lakes and rivers," Freedland tweeted following the meeting.  "Ellis, Ferguson, Harrison and Sandison raised many key issues, including the importance of preserving our communities on the shores of Lake Ontario."