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Donna Forsyth

    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: A Once-in-a-Decade Opportunity to Strengthen the Foundation for Water Law” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2022


    “In a nutshell, ‘vesting’ is the legal concept that has historically been used to establish the government’s authority to write the laws that govern water use in BC. This means that any use of water that is unvested remains outside of those provincial laws. Vesting all water does not mean the use of every drop will or needs to be regulated. That concern is a red herring. The real issue centres on what government cannot do when the water use involves unvested water,” stated Mike Wei.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Moving Towards Water Sustainability Act 2.0” – released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in April 2022


    “Mike Wei and I were part of the team that drafted the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) and regulations – we were “in the room” when the WSA was drafted. We have intimate knowledge of the WSA and understood that the current WSA represents the first, highest initial priorities written into law and was only the first step in modernising BC’s water legislation. We are therefore very aware that “certain things were left behind” in the first round and still need to be addressed,” stated Donna Forsyth.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Ramifications of Groundwater Licensing Crisis for BC Economy” released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in October 2021


    “For months now, the Partnership has been raising the red flag regarding the consequences of government NOT making a last ditch, all-out effort to urge historical groundwater users to apply for their licences before the deadline. Commit $30 million annually over a 10-year period – to deal with both the fallout of a less-than-successful launch of the groundwater licensing system AND the requirements necessary to meet the objectives of the Water Sustainability Act,” stated Ted van der Gulik in his presentation to the Select Standing Committee on Government Finance.

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    DOWNLOAD A COPY OF: “Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Groundwater Users Put on Notice,” released by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in July 2021


    “Government needs to ensure that they communicate ALL of the ongoing financial risks to historical businesses and the potential devaluation of their properties, if they miss the deadline. I believe that it is very important to be crystal clear about the impacts of the end of the transition period given how the law is written. In addition to government’s two-pronged responsibility for better communication and enforcement, there is a third responsibility that all citizens can take on. We all need to recognize the importance of water as a shared resource and illegal water use is unacceptable,” stated Donna Forsyth.

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