‘Historic achievement’ as British Columbia replaces its 105-year old Water Act
BC Legislature passes the Water Sustainability Act
On April 29, 2014 the British Columbia Legislature passed the Water Sustainability Act (Bill 18). The Act recognizes the connection between land use actions and the implications for the both the water cycle and watershed sustainability. This means the Act will have widespread impacts on how water and land practitioners conduct their work. Completion of the enactment process involves development of regulations and Royal Assent.
The Water Sustainability Act replaces the 105-year Water Act. After the act was passed, Environment Minister Mary Polak described it as “a historic achievement for British Columbia.”
“Those were different times with different demands on our water resource. B.C.’s entire population was only 350,000. Today, our provincial population is 4.6 million,” she added.
TO LEARN MORE:
For a summary of what is in the Act, download an Overview of the Legislative Proposal, Read the complete announcement by Minister Polak at Introducing the Water Sustainability Act.
To download a copy of a submission by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC, click on Feedback on the Legislative Proposal for a “Water Sustainability Act for BC”.
To read stories posted previously on the Water-Centric Planning community-of-interest, click on the links below:
“We urge all stakeholders to be inspired by the opportunities the Water Sustainability Act opens to make a difference,” says Tim Pringle, Past-President, Partnership for Water Sustainability