Watershed Watch Salmon Society comments on BC’s Water Sustainability Act
A Comment on Water Act Modernization
“B.C.’s current water act is in need of a major overhaul. In 2008, the BC Government announced Living Water Smart and the Water Act Modernization process. Living Water Smart promised long-needed changes to the Province’s rules for allocating water,” states Laura Kennedy of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society.
“There are four key phases of the Water Act Modernization process. We are currently in the midst of Phase 3. The Ministry of Environment has reviewed and analysed public input and, in December 2010, the Policy Proposal on British Columbia’s new Water Sustainability Act was released.”
“At this time the Ministry is seeking comments on the proposed policy. All feedback from this phase of engagement is available through the Living Water Smart website, www.livingwatersmart.ca.”
“We at the Watershed Watch Salmon Society have recently written a brief with regards the Policy Proposal on British Columbia’s New Water Sustainability Act. This brief has been posted to the blog and is available on our website,” concludes Laura Kennedy.
To Learn More:
Click on Policy Proposal on British Columbia’s new Water Sustainability Act Released — The new Act will support climate change adaptation and economic security and help ensure that water sustainability is considered in all decisions affecting water. It will help lighten BC’s water footprint and transition to a new way of managing water.
To download a copy of the brief submitted by the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, click on http://www.watershed-watch.org/publications/files/WaterPolicyBrief-Nowlan-Feb2011.pdf
“The inclusion of ‘sustainability’ in the title of the proposed new Act reveals a welcome change in the way water could be viewed,” writes Linda Nowlan, author of the society’s brief. “The hoped‐for emphasis on water sustainability recognizes that humans are not the only users of water, but that nature itself requires good quality abundant water. However, the Proposal is relatively short, and while it offers some insight into how a new Act will work, it remains unacceptably vague on some key issues, such as water governance.”
Posted February 2011