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Water Connections is a program designed to realize the Centre for Sustainable Watersheds' vision of a national water information resource that will facilitate cooperation and collaboration among Canada's water community. Our mission is to develop and implement a web-based water information portal designed to provide users with centralized access to a nationwide collection of water data, resources, contacts and other pertinent information.

“Our research examines the relationship between governance and practices of sustainable water management by municipal water supply utilities. We focus on water conservation because it is a key element of sustainable water management, reports Kathryn Furlong, principal author.

“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,” stated Linda Nowlan. In her June 2008 commentary, she pointed out crucial issues that deserve more in-depth exploration through a thorough public consultation.

Alberta Water Council Report – Sep 2008 (360p)
Some of Alberta’s largest users of water are taking action to develop and implement water conservation, efficiency and productivity plans as part of the province’s renewed Water for Life strategy.

“The Green Communities Initiative encompasses plans and strategies that provide direction as to where the Province of British Columbia wants to go in terms of adapting to climate change and reducing impact on the environment,” stated Dale Wall, Deputy Minister.

At the first in the 2008 Comox Valley Learning Lunch Seminar Series, held in September 2008, Catriona Weidman Development elaborated on the Province’s guiding philosophy for doing business differently. Grant programs will leverage change through a combination of eligibility and assessment criteria. “We all work with rules. What we really want to do is change some of the rules, to create the kind of communities that we desire. We are using infrastructure funding to encourage the right type of projects,” stated Catriona Weidman.

The purpose of the Collaborative Watershed Governance Initiative is to establish and implement a framework for collaborative watershed governance in BC. The result would be a shift toward ecosystem managementi in BC based on watersheds, using advanced governance arrangements and more local decision-making.

“I created the graphic several years ago for a meeting with the Board of the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District about the water sustainability component of their Regional Growth Strategy. I knew that if I did not have their attention on the first slide, I would not have their attention on the second,” stated Kim Stephens.

The design process outlined by Vic Derman does not differ greatly from traditional approaches with one exception. “The usual approach is to acquire land, decide what will be placed on it, then go about making it sustainable as possible. The layered approach effectively turns this upside down. Rather than being ‘fitted into the project’ after key decisions have been made, elements such as sustainability, amenity and social equity become the drivers of development outcomes,” stated Vic Derman.

“The goal of the series is to inform and educate local government practitioners. By spreading the curriculum over three sessions, this enabled participants to take in new information, reflect on it, blend it with their own experience, test it, and eventually apply it in making decisions,” stated Kim Stephens. At the final seminar, he re-capped the first two seminars, reinforced the provincial context for the series, and reviewed the learning outcomes.