Moving Towards Water
Sustainability in BC
Over the past two and a half years, the provincial government
has been in open dialogue with the public as the Province
navigates the reform of British Columbia's century-old Water
Act. The POLIS Water Team has been active throughout
the Water Act Modernization (WAM) process, providing
research and feedback to the Ministry of Environment at every
stage. This has included detailed applied
water governance research; research and support for an
NGO Statement of Expectations supported by almost 30 of
British Columbia’s key environmental organizations, as well
as a more recent detailed follow-up
analysis on progress; the appointment of team leader and
POLIS Co-Director, Oliver M. Brandes, to the Ministry's Water
Act Modernization Technical Advisory Committee; ongoing
engagement with staff, key groups, and sectors across British
Columbia; and, most recently, two detailed submissions
in response to government proposals.
The December 2010 release of the Ministry's Policy
Proposal on British Columbia's New Water Sustainability Act
offers insight into the direction Government is considering.
In the most recent POLIS WAM submission, the Water Team commends
the Living Water Smart Team on progress in a number of areas:
- groundwater regulation and licensing;
- attention to environmental flows;
- use of economic instruments and “beneficial use” provisions
to achieve efficiency gains;
- monitoring and reporting requirements; and
- the development of new tools and processes such as “provincial
water objectives” and “area based decision-making.”
The submission also emphasizes four key aspects that require
more attention and additional development if the goal of a
modern Water Sustainability Act is to be achieved.
- The priority of environmental flows
over other non-essential human uses, and the need for clear
binding and legally enforceable rules, as opposed to guidelines.
- An allocation system that embeds the public
trust to build resilience and avoid conflict.
- Commitment to shared watershed governance
to ensure those who are affected have a say in relevant
decisions. Support for co-governance and substantive local
participation on key water (and other resource) decisions
must be enabled.
- Accountability and oversight
to provide British Columbians with transparency and confidence
that what is promised will be done.
To inform the development of the final Water Sustainability
Act, the Government is currently seeking feedback and
direction on the policy proposal. The deadline for submissions
is March 14, 2011. It is hoped that the new legislation will
be released in 2012.
To further build capacity and engagement around the topic
of water governance reform, the POLIS WSP team hosted a new,
five-part webinar series from September 2010 to February 2011,
Creating a Blue Dialogue: Canadian Water Governance into
the 21st Century. The series helped promote and facilitate
dialogue around the ongoing WAM process, specifically around
the concept of the Public
Trust Doctrine and the topic of environmental
flows.
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Realizing the Vision
in NWT
This past January, POLIS Co-Director Oliver M. Brandes joined
leading water policy and law experts at a unique conference
in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. As part of a three-year
project funded by RBC’s Blue Water Project, the group gathered
with leaders, key individuals and groups for a three-day conference.
Attendees discussed the NWT Water Stewardship Strategy and
strategic opportunities to implement the strategy and further
the territory’s efforts to protect the Mackenzie River Basin.
The conference, Realizing the Vision, was facilitated
by the Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) and hosted by
the Territorial Government. Realizing the Vision
presented an unparalleled opportunity for multi-disciplinary
dialogue and knowledge sharing amongst a global group of water
experts. The common vision of all those in attendance is the
implementation of a groundbreaking, integrative water management
strategy in NWT with elements that could, ultimately, be applied
elsewhere in Canada.
The Northern Voices, Northern Waters Water Stewardship
Strategy sets the stage for the next generation of Canadian
water policy by incorporating ecological knowledge alongside
the values and concerns of Aboriginal peoples, regional stakeholders,
and governance bodies. At the conference, participants discussed
the possible implications of devolution, the importance of
developing strong transboundary relations, and the need for
land and water boards to ensure effective implementation of
the Strategy.
Staff from every level of the territorial government attended
the conference – from the Minister of Environment/Finance,
Michael Miltenberger, to the Deputy Minister, ADMs, Directors,
and water policy analysts. Both the Premier, Floyd Royland,
and former Premier, Steve Kakfwi, presented. Over 100 key
leaders and community members attended the conference’s successful
public forum. This public discussion focused on the precedent-setting
elements of the Strategy, Indigenous water rights, and the
centrality of water to the Aboriginal way of life. The public
forum was recorded by The Walrus and can be viewed on their
website.
An analysis of conference outcomes will be released in the
Spring 2011 edition of the
FLOW Monitor: Canadian Water Policy Watch. FLOW will
also host a number of follow up discussions across Canada
to highlight the importance of this precedent-setting strategy,
and engage other regions in the possibility of significant
reform and the move towards a national water strategy in Canada.
Stay tuned!
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New Governance Research
Released
Governance
for Source Water Protection in Canada is a leading,
Canadian Water Network collaborative research initiative led
by Dr. Rob de Loë and run by the Water
Policy and Governance Group at the University of Waterloo.
The POLIS Water Sustainability Project is a project partner,
with Oliver M. Brandes serving as a core member of the research
team. In late 2010, researchers at the Water Policy and Governance
Group released three new reports that highlight and discuss
key emerging issues and knowledge gaps in water governance
in Canada.
Challenges
for Water Governance in Canada: A Discussion Paper
outlines the main challenges faced by those engaged in collaborative
water governance. Across the country, people are becoming
more aware that governments, acting on their own and using
conventional policy tools, will not be able to solve the complex
water issues we are facing. Challenges for Water Governance
in Canada examines the movement away from traditional
governance approaches – which rely solely on governmental
input – toward collaborative water governance. Collaborative
governance involves actors both inside and outside government
coming together to share information and resources. The paper
identifies common challenges that are emerging in different
contexts across Canada, and uses select examples from real-world
water governance processes to illustrate how they are being
addressed. Future reports and discussion papers will explore
in greater detail the solutions to effectively address these
identified challenges.
Exploring
the Role of Policy Transfer in Water Governance: A Discussion
Paper advances the case for a more strategic approach
to policy transfer – one that is deliberate, purposeful and
analytical. By drawing on existing insights on policy transfer
and critically applying these insights to the field of water
governance, this discussion paper outlines the major elements
that shape transferability.
Water
Challenges and Solutions for First Nations Communities
summarizes major findings from an April 2010 workshop that
explored water governance experiences in First Nations across
Canada. The meeting brought together people familiar with
the challenges and solutions of water governance in First
Nations and provided a platform to share these insights with
fellow First Nations communities and professionals.
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