Category Archives: Water Governance

Smarter Water Laws

Living Water Smart (“LWS”) – BC's Water Plan was released on June 3, 2008 by Environment Minister Barry Penner. This long awaited Plan is the latest stage in a history of efforts to reform BC's water laws over the past 15 years. This comment from the UBC Program on Water Governance is an initial reaction to the Plan, and points out crucial issues that deserve more in-depth exploration through a thorough public consultation. Read More

Navigating the Shoals

Navigating the Shoals: Assessing Water Management and Governance in Canada is based on the results of a case study investigation of current institutional arrangements and the incentives, both positive and negative, used to achieve water management goals. It presents the results of this research in a series of recommendations that are likely to be required to enable managers to effectively deliver water services into the future. This is the first report published under the banner of the Leaders Forum on Water Resource Management and Governance, a three-year initiative with a mandate to help resolve policy challenges and conflicts related towater resource management as well as to improve North American governance of this important resource. Read More

Delegating Water Governance:

This report on evolving approaches to water governance in Canada, focusing on BC, was commissioned by the BC Water Governance Project, a partnership of the Fraser Basin Council, BC Ministry of Environment, Fraser Salmon and Watershed Program, Georgia Basin Living Rivers Program and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The paper is intended to provide useful information and tools for government and other stakeholders participating in the ongoing dialogue on water governance in the province of British Columbia. Read More

Integrated river basin management

Integrated river basin management (IRBM) is an approach that has been interpreted in a number of different ways during the last 100 years. Current support for IRBM is based on a ‘myth’ of inter-agency co-ordination. However, increasing complexity and uncertainty in river basin systems has created ‘wicked’ or ‘messy’ land and water management problems. The limited capacity of state institutions Read More