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“Not much will change without significantly increased budget commitments for
water. Also, an implementation strategy to achieve the targets and goals must be
established. These are the minimum requirements for turning rhetoric into reality. A long-overdue legislative overhaul of the B.C. Water Act is almost a certainty, but the
process for arriving at legislative proposals is vague,” stated Oliver Brandes.

“We’re interested in planning for long-term, balanced growth that will leave a legacy for the future – a strategy we see reflected in the Living Water Smart plan. Minister, this is phenomenal. We are committing ourselves as an industry to working with government at all levels to make sure this precious resource is protected for future generations,” stated Maureen Enser.

“This is a provincial strategy; we must look at it as a shared responsibility. It is not one strategy; the Province has a number of strategies. The Province is looking at raising the bar as far as what we are trying to accomplish with standards and provincial legislation. We really have to look at how we develop land. Ultimately this requires leadership and champions on the ground,” stated Glen Brown.

Living Water Smart is a blueprint for cultural, environmental, industrial, community and agricultural change that will help safeguard the province’s water resources. Released by Environment Minister Barry Penner in June 2008, the plan commits to new actions and builds on existing efforts to protect and keep B.C.’s water healthy and secure. “Living Water Smart: British Columbia’s Water Plan lays out the vision and the steps needed to protect our rivers, lakes, streams and watersheds. This plan will make B.C. a leader in water stewardship,” said Minister Penner.