Please visit our Press Room to view FLOW press releases and opinion articles.
Cross-Canada Checkup: A Canadian Perspective on Our Water Future offers a first-hand account of the state of fresh water across the country, and outlines the water challenges and priorities facing Canadians.
Capturing the national pulse on water, the report is a synthesis of themes, perspectives, and information from the Forum for Leadership on Water's fall 2011 cross-Canada water discussion series tour. Cross-Canada Checkup reports on what water expert Bob Sandford (UN Water for Life Decade) heard from the panellists and audiences during the 16-city tour. It illustrates the interrelatedness of many water issues common to all Canadians, and documents the growing need for solutions that transcend chronic jurisdictional challenges. It also explores the Northwest Territories’ groundbreaking new water stewardship strategy as a model for water policy reform in the rest of Canada.
The report was co-published by the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University.
To download a copy of the report, please click the link below.
A high resolution file for printing, the national press release and a French version of the executive summary are available for download from the POLIS Project website.
See media coverage in the Leader Post.
Written by Emilie Lagace, Shared Water One Framework: What Canada can Learn from EU Water Governance is based on the results of an extensive literature review and 40 interviews in Canada and Europe. This briefing note summarizes lessons from the EU Water Framework Directive that could be heeded by Canada. The study concludes that there are tangible benefits to collaborative water governance in the EU and that comparable advantages could be achieved in Canada with a similar approach.
The full Water Policy Fellowship report can be downloaded here.
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The Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) has written this briefing note to provide comments on Bill S-11, ‘An Act Respecting the Safety of Drinking Water on First Nation Lands,’ in an attempt to strengthen the provisions of the legislation.
Improved access to safe drinking water is of specific concern in First Nations communities. In 2010, there were 49 communities whose systems remain classified as high risk. As of August 31, 2010, there were 117 First Nations communities under drinking water advisories–a number that is on an upward trend, despite Canada’s attempts to better manage access to safe drinking water in these areas.
We welcome the intent of the Bill to improve the health and safety of First Nations through development of regulations that govern drinking water and wastewater treatment on First Nations’ lands. However, FLOW does not support the Bill in its current form. We recommend amendments to the Bill to ensure that it protects Aboriginal and treaty rights and commits to a cooperative framework between First Nations jurisdictions and the Government of Canada in the establishment of a safe drinking water regime.
Please contact Nancy Goucher if you have any questions about this briefing note or safe drinking water for First Nations.
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FLOW, Ecojustice and the Centre for Indigenous Environment Resources examine the the status of drinking water quality in Canada through Seeking Water Justice: Strengthening Legal Protection for Canada’s Drinking Water. The report reveals that certain communities in Canada – specifically rural and First Nations - are vulnerable to drinking water contamination. Risks are attributed to inadequate infrastructure, patchwork provincial laws, and a lack of binding drinking water standards from the federal government. The report calls for world-class, enforceable drinking water standards that are consistent across Canada, resources for First Nations drinking water services and transparent reporting on the state of drinking water systems across the country.
In partnership with the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the POLIS Water Sustainability Project, FLOW released Clean Water, Green Jobs. The report makes the case that government spending on sustainable water infrastructure can stimulate the economy and create jobs. The plan focuses on repairing and renewing existing water infrastructure, restoring green infrastructure and conserving water and energy.
