Achieving Water Conservation in Canada: Strategies for Good Governance
Strategies for Good Governance
Published in September 2008, this policy report represents the culmination of the Municipal Water Supply Infrastructure Governance in Canada project. This three-year project was hosted by the UBC Program on Water Governance and funded by Infrastructure Canada, the Canadian Water Network, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Project Summary
“Our research examines the relationship between governance and practices of sustainable water management by municipal water supply utilities”, reports Kathryn Furlong, principal author. “We focus on water conservation because it is a key element of sustainable water management, and is of significant interest to water utilities across Canada.”
“In the pilot phase between 2005 and 2007, we examined the relationship between changing governance structures and sustainable water management in Ontario,” continues Kathryn Furlong. “We documented the results of that work in the report Water governance in transition: Utility restructuring and demand management in Ontario.”
“Following the pilot study, we expanded the research to include a cross-Canada sample of municipal experiences,” adds Karen Bakker, Director, Program on Water Governance. “In the second phase of research, which is the focus of this report, we reversed the arrow of inquiry: we selected municipalities that are leaders in sustainable water management in each region of the country and examined how governance influenced the development of their programs.”
Link to Report:
Furlong, K. & K. Bakker (2008). Achieving Water Conservation: Strategies for Good Governance (Policy Report). Vancouver, BC: UBC Program on Water Governance & Infrastructure Canada. This document is the second policy report to result from the project and follows from the Canada-wide research phase of the project.
Posted December 2008