Traditionally, citizens in one country who suffer damages as a resuit of pollution caused by the activities of citizens of another country have looked to governmental channels for settlement of their claims. A classic case in point was the Trail Smelter Arbitration between the United States and Canada, in which the American government successfully espoused the cause of its nationals in the State of Washington against the Canadian government for damage caused by the smoke from the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company operations at Trail, British Columbia. If, however, this case continues to intrigue legal commentators and foreign office legal advisors as a leading precedent in the field of international environmental law, few residents of southwestern Ontario could presently be convinced of the practical relevance of this precedent.