NRT Water Forum Report Eng

7/31/2019 NRT Water Forum Report Eng

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Nrt NatioNal water forum report:

MOVING

TO ACTION

SETTING PRIORITIES FROM

NRTs CHARTING A COURSE

RECOMMENDATIONS


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MESSAGE FROM THE NRT VICE-CHAIR

AND PRESIDENT & CEO

This report, on the National Round Table on the Environment and the

Economys (NRT) National Water Forum, provides the start o an action

plan that will make important contributions to the management and

governance o Canadas water resources. The NRTs report, Charting a

Course, Sustainable Water Use by Canadas Natural Resource Sectors, brings

together the ecological and economic importance o water highlighting

the need to improve water management and governance to ensure healthy

ecosystems and prosperous natural resource sectors. The Forum brought

together experts rom across Canada in January 2012 to discuss the NRT

recommendations in Charting a Courseand provide advice on how they

could be put into action.

There was clear consensus among the experts and participants at

the Forum that now is the time to begin acting on many o our

recommendations or better water governance, exploring the use o water

pricing and investing in water-use orecasting and data. Participants

elt so strongly about the importance o these issues they developed a

new recommendation to create a charter arming the legitimacy o

collaborative water governance processes.


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The NRT strongly encourages governments, industry, and others to act

on these recommendations. A number o initiatives and activities already

underway could embrace some o the NRT priority recommendations

and move them orward, such as the Council o the Federations (CoF)

Water Stewardship Council, the Canadian Council o Ministers o

the Environments (CCME) water action plan, the Canadian Water

Resources Associations (CWRA) work on a Canada-wide water

strategy, and provincial and territorial water strategies and policies

that are currently under renewal. In the current scal situation, it will

be impossible or any one government or organization to move all

these recommendations orward, but through new collaborations and

partnerships, we can make real progress on sustaining Canadas most

valuable resource our water.

R.W. SLATER, CM, PH.D.

NRT Vice-Chair

DAVID McLAUGHLIN

NRT President and CEO


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRT)

would like to express its sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in our

National Water Forum. This report would not be possible without their ideasand contributions. We hope that this report captures the essence o their many

interventions and insights.

A special thank you to the expert panel members or their time in preparing

thoughtul and engaging presentations: Tony Maas, Anthony Watanabe, Steven

Renzetti, Kirsten Vice, David Marshall, Don Pearson, David Brooks, Jean

Cinq-Mars, and Cairine MacDonald. Their considered perspectives sparked our

debate and helped shape the dialogue.

Thanks to George Greene o Stratos Inc. or acilitating the orum so capably.

The NRT Secretariat put orth an exemplary eort to deliver an engaging event.

A special note o thanks is due to the Communications team or its eorts to

extend the reach o our events through our rst-ever live webcast.

Finally, thanks to the NRT members who also took time to participate in the

orum: Robert Slater, Mark Parent, Christopher Hilkene, Robert Kulhawy, and

Dianne Cunningham.


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TAblE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1

- The NRT National Water Forum ........................................ 6

SECTION 2

- Key Forum Themes ............................................................. 8

SECTION 3

- Priority Recommendations and Starting to Act ................. 15

SECTION 4

- Perspectives ....................................................................... 22

SECTION 5

- Top Recommendations ...................................................... 25

APPENDIx I

- List o NRT Charting a CourseRecommendations ............ 27

APPENDIx II

- List o Water Forum Participants ...................................... 30

APPENDIx III

- Water Forum Agenda ........................................................ 33


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SECTION 1T H E N R T N A T I O N A L WA T E R F O R U M

In 2011, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRT) published

Charting a Course: Sustainable Water Use by Canadas Natural Resource Sectors, which provided

18 recommendations or improving water management and governance.1 The report discusses

and explores water orecasts, water-quantity data and inormation, policy instruments with an

emphasis on water pricing, and collaborative water governance. It concluded that or Canada to

ensure the sustainability o its water supply which is crucial to the prosperity o its industries

in the natural resource sectors governments at all levels need to engage in collaborative models

o governance, develop and publish a regularly updated national Water Outlook, and urther

explore the use o water pricing or the natural resource sectors to encourage conservation.

All levels o government in Canada share responsibility or water management and governance.

As the major users o water, the natural resource sectors have a signicant stake in water

management as well. Many eorts are underway in dierent regions o Canada to improve waterstrategies, regulations and policies, and collaborative approaches. The recommendations set out

in Charting a Courseprovide inormation and advice to help provinces, territories, and ederal

departments improve policy approaches and achieve their respective water management objectives.

1 See Appendi I for f isting of recommendations.


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NATIONAL ROUND TABLE ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMY 7

In January 2012, the NRT convened a multi-stakeholder meeting with 50 Canadian water

experts, government representatives, academics, and industry representatives.2 Participants

rom across the county discussed, deliberated, and ranked the recommendations in Charting a

Course, suggesting ways to move the recommendations rom argument to action.

In this report, the NRT summarizes these discussions, identies key points, and brings

orward what orum participants thought was most important. We report on how the

recommendations can be strengthened and provide the top priority recommendations as

identied by this national group o water experts. Participants went on to identiy organizations

or groups that might be able to lead or contribute to moving the recommendations orward. This

report demonstrates that there is signicant momentum to act on the NRTs recommendations

and sets out suggest ions or what can be acted upon now.

2 See Appendi II for the ist of participants.

Canadians need t set tediscssin estimating,recasting, mnitring,and managing water se,demand, and spp in tecntext ecsstems andsstainabiit.


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SECTION 2K E Y F O R U M T H E M E S

This section summarizes the key themes discussed in the morning panel sessions o the Water

Forum.1 While many challenges are involved in implementing the NRT recommendations, we

take note o one particularly dicult challenge or each topic.

Water Forecasts and the Imp ortance oFWater data and InFor matIon

Although many o the NRT recommendations related to water orecasts and data were viewed

as relevant and important, our key themes emerged rom the discussions:

Abroaderecologicalandsustainabilitycontext

Dataandinformationcollectionwithpurpose

Forecastinggood,backcastingbetter

Accessibleandopendata

3 See Appendi III for Water Form Agenda.

3


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a broader ecologIcal and sustaInabIlIty context

Canadians need to set the discussion o estimating, orecasting, monitoring, and managing

water use, demand, and supply in the context o ecosystems and sustainabil ity. A sector approach

to collecting water data can be useul. Even more benecial, however, is a broader approach that

integrates measuring, monitoring, and orecasting water use with ecosystem needs and directly

correlates this to a desired management outcome.

A singular ocus on quantitative water use misses issues o water qual ity, biodiversity, and

ecological integrity. Many participants noted that a signicant gap in our knowledge centres

on in-stream fow needs and the sustainable withdrawals that can be accommodated. Such

inormation is necessary both within a watershed context and with a temporal component to

capture seasonal fows and withdrawals.

Without taking climate change into account, data collection does not provide or good orecasting.

Water-use orecast ing needs to integrate changing climate patterns, which directly aect

hydrological conditions. The idea o stationarity where past hydrological conditions

(precipitation, runo or other fows) are seen as key inputs to uture projections no longer

prevails; with climate change, historical water use may not be representative o uture use due

to diering hydrology and water temperatures.

data and InFormatIon collectIon WIth purpos e

Data or the sake o data is latent potential it needs meaning in terms o how it links

to economic growth and industrial competitive advantage on a specic watershed or sector

basis. At a strategic level, it is necessary to rst set the conditions society wants or economic

development and ecosystem health and then develop monitoring and inormation programs

that refect those conditions.

Data and inormation can be viewed as an economic opportunity. Considerable inormation

already exists on water resources, but its scattered. Communities need to think about

opportunities or integrating data and knowledge and explore the economic opportunities o

working with inormation technolog y sectors to develop processes and programs that can be

leveraged, used, and exported to other parts o the world.


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10 NRT NATIONAL wATER fORUM REpORT: MOVING TO ACTION

ForecastIng good, backcastIng better

Forecasting provides a way o looking toward a uture based on current conditions. Participants

agreed that a more substantive but not necessarily perect water-demand and use orecast is

needed. They agreed with the recommendation in Charting a Coursethat this be done at a basin

level and that the results be integrated with the supply-side hydrological data creating water

balances. In this way, questions about uture water demands could be better understood.

While orecasting water use and demand was seen as a useul and important tool, it was suggested

it be used in a dierent way. Rather than simply orecasting uture demand, participants

recommended that a better approach would be to backcast. Backcasting sets a sustainability

agenda or water, envisioning a desirable state o a watershed in the uture and then uses water

orecasts to gure out how that vision could be achieved. This backcasting approach is based on

the Water Sot Path Approach2 that uses strategic thinking to envision a desirable uture and

then integrates policies, plans, and technological innovation accordingly.

accessIble and open data

The NRTs recommendation to have a national water portal was avourably viewed. As many

noted, industry, governments, and non-government organizations hold a considerable amount

o data; what is required is a means to collect and use that data in a more transparent, open,and accessible way. To move this idea orward, participants suggested we look or best practices

within provincial initiatives and adapt them or a nat ional portal. Two examples are the Water

and Environmental Hub (WEHUB) and the Alberta WaterPortal. More work is needed to

standardize data, decide on its best use, and determine appropriate levels o disclosure. In an

era o transparency in which consumers demand product provenance, chain o custody, and ull

ingredient disclosure, governments should be leading the way to democratize data.

noted challenge

Data and inormation collection, dissemination, and interpretation require sustained andocused eorts. Moving these recommendations orward will require new human and nancial

resources, not an easy challenge to overcome in the current nancial situation acing many

governments. Leadership and accountability are essential to ensuring the collection o water

data and inormation over the longer term.

4 Advocated the Pois Project on Ecoogica Governance: http://poiswaterproject.org/softpath

4


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puttIng a prIce on Water

The NRTs research on the potential use o pricing water, specically with the use o volumetric

charges, was viewed as innovative and applauded as a necessary rst step toward urther exploring

this much talked-about, but not well understood, policy tool. The recommendations were

largely accepted by Forum participants. Their discussions on water pricing revealed two themes:

Signalthevalueofwatertochangebehaviour

Waterpricinghasrealpotentialasawatermanagementtoolbutneedsfurtherinvestigation

sIgnal the value oF Water to change behavIour

Using economic instruments, such as water charges, encourages conservation by moving wateruse to its higher value. This will ultimately change the way industry uses water. Currently,

all Canadian provinces and territories have the legislative authority to charge or water use.

However, the charges or the most part refect administrative ees, not the true value o

water. Existing ees charged by governments are too low to aect the behaviour o the users.

Water markets, another economic instrument, are in l imited use in Canada, but exist or water

quantities being traded in the South Saskatchewan Basin and water quality being traded in

Ontarios South Nation Watershed.

In an era transparenc inwic cnsmers demandprdct prvenance,cair cstd, and ingredient discsre,gvernments sdbe eading te wa tdemcratie data.


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In signalling a value or water we have the option o volumetric charges versus water markets.

The proposal put orward at the Forum was not to choose one, but to use both where

appropriate water management strategies could include integrated water management

rameworks using both water charges and water markets. Participants also recognized that

pricing is but one tool to change behaviour; others, such as stewardship programs, also induce

behavioural change. Having a suite o policy instruments is necessary in water management as

the issues will vary rom region to region. The instruments being applied should t the problem.

Water prIcIng has real potentIal as a Water management tool

but needs Further InvestIgatIon

The NRTs recommendation to investigate the use o water pricing scenarios on a watershed

and/or rm basis was strongly supported. The modelling was heralded as a good and important

rst attempt; however, the conclusions were directional. To urther advance water pricing as

a viable option it will rst be necessary to rene denitions o water use and then to integrate

inormation about the unique eatures and uses o the natural resource sectors. These denitions

and inormation can then be used to inorm the actual design o pricing policies and water

conservation and management policies.

noted challenge

The biggest challenge acing the implementation o the recommendations on water pricing

is that we simply do not yet have the capacity in place intellectually and institutionally

to move orward briskly. We need to develop the analytic capacity (modelling, ramework,

orecasting), and understand how water pricing could impact industries and rms. One

suggestion or addressing the deciency was to undertake specic case studies in watersheds

that are already stressed to investigate what the impact o markets and/or pricing might be.

Related to this, the scope, depth, and nature o the data currently available is likely insucient

to advance water pricing policies in the immediate uture. The analytical modelling is only

as good as the data that is used, and this needs to be improved to achieve more accurate and

reliable results.


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collaboratIve Water gov ernance

Collaborative water governance is happening across Canada more than ever. It is here to stay

because

peopleunderstandtheimportanceofworkingtogether,toensuresustainablemanagement

o our resources, and in doing so maximize benets and minimize costs;

multi-disciplinaryandmulti-interestapproachesarenecessarybecauseofthecomplexityof

resource management issues;

itreducespotentialforconictlaterandpromotesmoreharmoniouscommunities;and

itenhancestrustamongwaterresourceusers.

The discussion o collaborative water governance val idated and reinorced the NRTs

recommendations. Participants noted that all our recommendations are essential or

collaborative water governance to work. They are not mutually exclusive; rather they are inter-

related and must be implemented in parallel. Two key themes arose rom the discussions:

collaborativewatergovernanceworksatthestrategiclevel

governanceisasharedresponsibilityandstakeholdersotherthangovernmentwillneedto

help implement the recommendations

collaboratIve Water governance Works at the strategIc level

Collaborative processes should be used or strategic-level matters such as assessing, planning,

and developing water strategies at the watershed level. The Forum armed the NRTs

conclusion that collaborative water governance processes work when requiring input rom

multiple stakeholders into decision making on big picture or strategic issues. This reinorced

our nding that it is not an appropriate approach or all water-related decisions: or example, it

is not necessarily a tool or project-specic decisions requiring clearly legislated decisions such

as regulatory approvals.


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governance Is a shared responsIbIlIty and stakeholders

other than government WIll need to help Implement therecommendatIons

Participants recognized that in many regions, governments are not in a nancial position to

lead collaborative water governance processes. Signicant cuts to key ministries responsible

or water would have enormous implications or this approach. Thereore non-government

entities are stepping in to lead the way. Participants suggested that even i governments cannot

lead, they could assist by changing the water governance rameworks, removing some o the

institutional barriers to collaborative water governance approaches. Water governance and

management includes a big responsibility or other stakeholders to step up: industry clearly will

i the right incentives and conditions are in place.

noted challenge

Collaborative water governance approaches by denition means shared responsibility. The

main concern with these processes centres on the possibility that shared responsibility is

no responsibility. Forum participants were challenged to gure out how to overcome this

key issue. They suggested that despite this challenge, a movement toward collaborative water

governance that puts the responsibility o water management into the hands o collaborative

multi-stakeholder groups is still a good step in the right direction.


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SECTION 3P R I O R I T Y R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S A N D S TA R T I N G T O A C T

This section identies the priority recommendations within each theme, as determined by

participants at the Water Forum. They proposed changes to modiy and strengthen some o the

NRTs original recommendations, and these are noted. Two new recommendations were also

put orth and identied as priorities.

To move these priorities orward, Forum participants oered solid ideas on actions in the

short to medium term aimed at giving the recommendations traction. Initial suggestions were

made about organizations or groups that could either take a leadership role or contribute to theimplementation o the recommendations and actions or the top priority in each category.

Water For ecastIng

The recommendation noted as being o highest priority was the ollowing, but with modi-

cations, noted in italics:

PRIORITy #1

Recognizing that accurate water orecasting requires improving how and what we

measure and report water-quantity data, governments and industry should work

collaboratively to develop appropriate measurement and reporting requirements on a

sector-by-sector and basin-to-basin basis.


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This recommendation was seen as a necessary rst step as it builds the oundation or the other

two priority recommendations, noted below. Accurate orecasting determines how and what is

measured. A number o short-term actions were suggested to implement this recommendation:

Act io n LeAd ers An d/ or pAr ti ci pAn ts

Identi regina pririt actin pans rmeasrement and reprting

Regina/basin/cnservatin-eve atrities

Initiate apprac r prvincia regatrmanagement r data cectin

Prvincia gvernments

Identi critica pic estins tat weare tring t answer n a regina basis

Prvincia gvernments and staeders; maincde edera gvernment i bndar watersare invved

Identi apprpriate mecanisms andinstittins t cate data and prvide aregina pictre

N grp identifed

Wen tacing tgisses sc as watermanagement andgvernance, we need tbetter nderstand teinages between teenvirnment and teecnm, tat te tware snergistic.

Cairine MacDnad


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These steps could then allow a pilot study to be conducted within the target area to identiy

needs and issues, that should be led by regional, watershed or conservation authorities.

The implementation o the recommendation above would then enable the ollowing two

priorities to move orward:

The idea that governments begin collaborating to develop water quantity data is critical ly

important. Data collection and knowledge generation needs to be viewed less as something

that is reluctantly required and more as an incredibly important input into water management.

This will drive questions o what is the best, most eective and ecient inormation to collect.

PRIORITy #2

Governments should develop new predictive tools, such as water orecasting, to improve

their understanding o where and when water demands might increase. The inormationprovided by orecasts will be important to inorm water allocations and management

strategies in the uture.

PRIORITy #3

The ederal, provincial, and territorial governments should collaborate in the

development and publication o a national water-use orecast and water-use forecasts for

major basins, updated on a regular basis a Water Outlook the rst to be published

within two years. This could be led by a nationa l organization such as the Canadian

Council o Ministers o the Environment.


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Water data and InFormatIon

One water data and inormation recommendation was noted as being o highest priority:

It was suggested that while the other NRT water data and inormation recommendations are

important, this one had to be implemented rst or the other data-related recommendations

to be possible. The development o protocols o water data collection and the availability o

accessible water portals, leading to better data and inormation, would enable the development

o more accurate water orecasts. To move this recommendation orward, the ollowing two

short-term actions were put orth:

In the medium term it was suggested that governments develop and implement a regulatory

ramework to ensure water data reporting, one that addresses condentia lity issues. It was noted

that a ew innovative water data management and water portals have recently been developed.

In moving this recommendation orward, these pilots should be examined to see i they could

serve as models or other jurisdictions in the country.

Acti on LeAd ers An d/ or pAr ti ci pAn ts

Set Canada-wide gas t defne teacta data needs.

Cnci Federatin Water StewardsipCmmittee

Devep a cmmn prtc andangage based n internatina

standards.

Statistics Canada, Natra Resrces Canada,Canadian Cnci Ministers

te Envirnment, NRT

PRIORITy #1

In collaboration with partners and stakeholders, governments at all levels should develop

protocols or transparent access to water data. Provinces and territories should continue

establishing their own water-data portals. The ederal government should develop a

national web-based water portal, in collaboration with the provinces and territories,that also provides access to provincial and territorial water portals.


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Water prIcIng

Participants proposed a new recommendation that was agreed upon as the rst priority in

this category:

Participants agreed that this new recommendation was more comprehensive and articulates the

direction in which Canada needs to go to sustainably manage its water resources. As a starting

point or implementing this recommendation, two short-term actions were seen as necessary to

developing a robust yet manageable ramework and methodology or estimating the value o water.

Participants suggested that two o the NRTs water pricing recommendations be combined into

one. This became the second priority:

PRIORITy #1

Estimate the value o water.

Act io n LeAd er s An d/ or pAr ti ci pAn ts

Identi state--te-art cncepts andmetds r vaatin.

Canadian Cnci Ministers te Envirnment,Cnci Federatin Water StewardsipCmmittee, Cnci Canadian Academies

Carr t case stdies in a crdinatedasin acrss te cntr n w tvae water.

Prvincia gvernments, cnservatin andwatersed atrities, CWRA

PRIORITy #2

Develop the capacity to price water and anticipate impacts.


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Three important enabling conditions will be necessary beore Canadians can implement these

recommendations on water pricing:

developasocialmarketingcampaigntoconvinceCanadiansoftheneedforthevaluation

o water and to explain what this means;

buildcapacityintellectualandorganizationalwithingovernments,academia,and

sectors; and

conductmoremodellingofwaterdemandsandtheimpactsofpricing,andexplorewater

quality trading.

collaboratIve Water governanc e

All our o the NRTs recommendations related to collaborative water governance were noted as

necessary and important. Some participants considered the proposed recommendations in the

context o national, provincial/territorial, and regional jurisdiction and initiatives, concluding

that the ederal government alone would have trouble articulating any kind o national approach

to collaborative water governance. To make it workable, the our NRT water governance

recommendations were combined, bringing in partners with national scope. This was the most

highly ranked priority o the Forum.

PRIORITy #1

A coalition o the Council o the Federation, the Federation o Canadian Municipa lities,

the Assembly o First Nations, and the resource sectors, with the support o the

Government o Canada, should develop a charter that arms the legitimacy o

collaborative water governance. This charter should articulate the guiding principles that

coalition members will adopt in developing their own regional, provincial/territorial,

or local structures, including roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, mechanisms orenabling participation, and integration with other planning processes and policies.


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This new recommendation creates a ramework based on principles that al low local needs to

be articulated in response to specic problems but giving it national importance. Participants

suggested that the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) is well positioned to lead

this initiative as it is well aligned with its proposed work on a Canada-wide water strategy and

could develop the charter in a period o 12 to 18 months or consideration. O course all levels

o governments would ultimately be required to ully participate and arm the legitimacy o

the charter once drated.


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SECTION 4P E R S P E C T I V E S

Toward the end o the Water Forum, three dist inguished speakers provided their nal

perspectives on both the report and what they heard during the day. This section highlights

a ew o those views that either add to or build upon some o the priorities and opportunities

proposed during the event.

davId b. brooks, dIrector, Water soFt path research,polIs project on ecologIcal governance

Dr. Brooks comments were linked to the themes o renewing the socia l licence or the natural

resource sectors to operate and increasing the contribution o the sectors to public welare. He

presented three priorities or consideration. The top priority has to be to measure water use. In

the absence o inormation about water use, proposals or greater eciency and conservation

will be l ittle more than guesswork. Regrettably, except in urban areas, where ew components

o the resource sector are based, stable long-term unding or measuring water use has been

declining, not increasing, in recent years.

The second priority is to put a value on water and then to start charging water users on a

volumetric basis, echoing the strong support o the orum participants earlier in the day. Final ly,

as a third priority Dr. Brooks suggested that while the recommendations in the NRT report are


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all relevant forthe agriculture sector, they are not directly applicable to agriculture. Thereore

Dr. Brooks urged the NRT to research and develop a set o recommendations or agriculture

that begin rom what has just been published in Charting a Course.

jean cInq-mars, commIssIoner oF sustaInabledevelopment, q ubec

Mr. Cinq-Mars agreed with all the recommendations that participants deemed to be o highest

priority, saying that Canada has to move orward with a national water strategy especially as

Canada is negotiating a ree-trade agreement with the European Union (EU). In this regard,

Canada has to be aware o the EUs broad environment policies to ensure that its own policies

are consistent or trade and environment purposes. However, Canada is liv ing through a period

o constraint and cannot tackle everything. Given this, one way orward could be to manage

water on the basis o risk management. With climate change, companies, especial ly those in

the natural resource sector, ace two kinds o risks today: reputational and environmental. First,

reputational risks aect Canadian rms operating internationally as they are exposed to more

scrutiny and audits. To avoid this risk, Canada and Canadian rms could adopt internationally

acceptable policies, standards, and best practices, including water monitoring reporting practices.

Second, the environmental risk comes rom changing environmental conditions disrupting

companies supply chains as a result o fooding, drought, shipping issues, ice-roads melting,etc. These risks, i not managed wisely, can signicantly aect the protability o a rm.

Mr. Cinq-Mars endorsed the NRT report conclusions and recommendations that called or

urther exploration o water governance and management at a regional and/or watershed scale.

Such case studies would help to better understand the potential implications and application o

what the NRTs research has directional ly provided.

caIrIne macdonald, deputy mInIster, envIronment,

government oF brItIsh columbIa

In August 2010 all Canadian premiers signed the Council o the Federation (CoF) Water

Charter. Cairine is the chair o its Water Stewardship Council, the group tasked with

implementing the Charter. This group is tackling the Charter commitments with a whole-o-

government approach in partnership with business, ENGOs, academia, and interested citizens,

an approach that she noted is consistent with the #1 priority o the NRTs Water Forum, which

is to orm a coalition to address collaborative governance processes. Many o the commitments


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in the Charter support the NRT recommendations: making water use more ecient by

challenging water-use sectors to prepare water conservation and eciency plans, enhancing

water monitoring eorts, and co-operating and sharing inormation. Cairine undertook to

bring the NRTs recommendations to the CoF or consideration.

Cairine reinorced the idea that water has value, and that Canadians must start to treat water

as a valuable resource. She suggested that a common language is needed to say that water has

value, to pinpoint the common components o water that are valued, and to recognize how

that plays out in dierent situations and regions o the country. Many lessons outside the

water realm i llustrate how to put a value on a resource. The example she cited was electricity

deregulation in Alberta, especially as it pertains to time o use and dierentiation between

dierent kinds o power. Possible parallels can be drawn between electricity deregulation and

water (the latter in terms o its temporal use and dierent uses by the natural resource sectors),and valuable lessons learned as we move orward on valuing water.

Finally, Cairine stressed that there is no more urgent conversation today in Canada than that

involving both the environment and the economy, emphasizing the importance o the work the

NRT has undertaken in its water program. Implementing many o the solutions or issues o the

environment and the economy will require better communication. When tackling tough issues

such as water management and governance, we need to better understand the linkages between

the environment and the economy, that the two are synergistic. In closing she emphasized,

We as Canadians can get it right.

Te tp pririt as t bet measre water se. Inte absence inrmatinabt water se, prpsasr greater efcienc andcnservatin wi be ittemre tan gesswr.

Dr. David B. Brs


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SECTION 5T O P R E C O M M E N DA T I O N S

O the original 18 NRT recommendations in Charting a Course, participants identied seven

as being o top priority:

Water ForecastIng

Recognizingthataccuratewaterforecastingrequiresimprovinghowandwhatwemeasure

and report water-quantity data, governments and industry should work collaboratively to

develop appropriate measurement and reporting requirements on a sector-by-sector and

basin-to-basin basis.

Governmentsshoulddevelopnewpredictivetools,suchaswaterforecasting,toimprove

their understanding o where and when water demands might increase. The inormation

provided by orecasts will be important to inorm water allocations and management


Thefederal,provincial,andterritorialgovernmentsshouldcollaborateinthedevelopment

and publication o a national water-use orecast and water-use orecasts or major basins,

updated on a regular basis a Water Outlook the rst to be published within two

years. This could be led by a national organization such as the Canadian Council o

Ministers o the Environment.


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Incollaborationwithpartnersandstakeholders,governmentsatalllevelsshoulddevelop



national web-based water portal in collaboration with the provinces and territories, which

also provides access to provincial and territorial water portals.

Water prIcIng

Estimatethevalueofwater. Developthecapacitytopricewaterandanticipateimpacts.

collaboratIve Water governanc e

AcoalitionoftheCounciloftheFederation,theFederationofCanadianMunicipalities,

the Assembly o First Nations, and the resource sectors, with the support o the

Government o Canada, should develop a charter that arms the legitimacy o

collaborative water governance. This charter should articulate the guiding principles that

coalition members will adopt in developing their own regional, provincial/territorial, or

local structures, including roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, mechanisms or enablingparticipation, and integration with other planning processes and policies.


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APPENDIx I :

lIST OF NRT CHARTING A COURSERECOMMENDATIONS

panel I

Water ForecastIng

Thefederal,provincialandterritorialgovernmentsshouldcollaborateinthedevelopment

and publication o a national water-use orecast, updated on a regular basis a Water

Outlook the rst to be published within two years. This could be led by a national

organization such as the Canadian Council or Ministers o the Environment.

Governmentsshoulddevelopnewpredictivetools,suchaswaterforecasting,toimprove

their understanding o where and when water demands might increase. The inormation

provided by orecasts will be important to inorm water allocations and management


Recognizingthataccuratewaterforecastingrequiresimprovinghowwemeasureand

report water-quantity data, governments and industry should work collaboratively to

develop appropriate measurement and reporting requirements on a sector-by-sector basis.


Provincialandterritorialgovernmentsshouldestablishdemand-sidedatasystemsthat

have clearly dened reporting requirements or water licence holders. These systems would

have common obligations to report provisions, contain dened time periods or reporting,

and introduce enorcement programs to ensure reporting o water use by water licence holders.

Theprovincesandterritories,incollaborationwithstakeholdersandpartners,should

develop common measurement techniques to collect water-quantity data.


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Theprovincialandterritorialgovernments,incollaborationwiththenaturalresource

sectors, should research the sector-specic uture water data needs o their jurisdictions.

These initiatives would help jurisdictions identiy and develop data-management

approaches and systems that have buy-in rom the natural resource sectors.

Governmentsatalllevelsshouldcollaboratewithpartnersandstakeholderstodevelop

and integrate water-quantity data or use as a water-management tool at a local watershed

scale. Provinces and territories should rst develop integrated water-management tools

within their jurisdictions at a ner spatial resolution, as it is easier to roll-up small-scale

assessments to larger scales rather than to disaggregate an initial assessment perormed at

a larger spatial scale.

Incollaborationwithpartnersandstakeholders,governmentsatalllevels,shoulddevelop



national web-based water portal in collaboration with the provinces and territories, that

also provides access to provincial and territorial water portals.

panel II : puttIng a prIce on Water

Governmentsshouldresearchtherelationshipbetweenwateruseandpricingneedsbefore

they implement water pricing on a volumetric basis. Specically, they need to better

understand the potential implications on sectors and rms. In order to do so, data on

water-use needs to improve, to gain a better understanding o water intakes, recirculation,

and recycling within acilities.

Thenaturalresourcesectorsshouldlookcloselyattheirwaterintakeandwherethecosts

rest within their use o water. Incorporating the value o water into operations may

reveal opportunities or cost savings, through implementation o improved technologies or

best management practices, possibly leading to overall water intake reductions.

Ifapriceisputonwaterusebythenaturalresourcesectors,revenuesshouldbedirected

to support watershed-based governance and management initiatives, rather than put into

general revenue o the province or territory.

Recognizingthatfurtherresearchisrequiredontheuseofeconomicinstrumentswithinthe

context o watersheds, governments intending to use EIs should evaluate their environmental,

economic, and social implications, allowing or an inormed discussion o trade-os.


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panel III : collaboratIve Water gover nance

Governmentsshouldafrmthelegitimacyofcollaborativewatergovernanceand

demonstrate that collaborative governance bodies have an important role to play.

I governments choose to invest in collaborative processes, they must act on the

recommendations provided by the collaborative process as much as possible and commit

to provide ormal eedback to the group when recommendations are ignored. Otherwise,

participants rom the natural resource sectors will lose condence and leave the process,

given the signicant time and nancial commitment or them.

Governmentsmustrecognizethatcollaborativewatergovernancestructuresrequireclear roles and responsibilities and well-dened accountability rules. Most people and

organizations involved in collaborative water governance across Canada, including the

natural resource sectors, believe that there is insucient clarity about authority and

accountability or decision making within the current rameworks. As a minimum, the

Terms o Reerence or the collaborative processes require a written description o roles

and responsibilities. A more ormal document would strengthen the accountability, and in

some cases, governments may want to enshrine the governance structure into a new piece

o legislation.

Collaborativewatergovernanceprocessesshouldbedevelopedandimplementedinacoordinated manner with other planning processes and policies. Water governance is

not only about water and cannot take place in isolation rom other planning processes

aecting and involving the natural resource sectors, such as municipal land use planning or

orest management plans. As these processes operate at various scales and involve several

orders o governments, policy alignment will require coordination between a number o

governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Governmentsshouldprovideincentivesforparticipation.Effectivecollaborativewater

governance requires the involvement o a broad range o stakeholders, including the major

water users in the natural resources sectors. For collaborative water governance processes

to become operating concerns in the natural resources sectors (rather than optional

activities), government must identiy them as a priority. This could be done by making

participation mandatory, through regulation or as a condition o water licences.


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APPENDIx IIlIST OF WATER FORuM PARTICIPANTS

JIll BAkER

National Round Table on

the Environment and the Economy

JEAN-FRANoIS BARSouM

IBM

GEMMA BoAGAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada

RoN BoNNETT

Canadian Federation o Agriculture

BIll BoRlAND

AMEC Earth Environmental

DAVID B. BRookSPOLIS Project on

Ecological Governance

JIM BRuCE

Consultant

BEN ChAlMERS

Mining Association o Canada

JEAN CINq-MARSCommissaire au dveloppement

durable du Qubec

kAREN ClARkE-WhISTlER

TD Bank Financial Group

BERNADETTE CoNANT

Canadian Water Network (CWN)

loIS CoRBETT

Blue Economy Initiative

DIANNE CuNNINGhAM

National Round Table onthe Environment and the Economy

VICToRIA DAVID

Cenovus

REN DRolET



DIANE DuPoNTBrock University

GEoRGE GREENE

Stratos Inc.

MARk hENRy

Statistics Canada

ChRISToPhER hIlkENE


TED hoRBulyk

University o Calgary


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JIll JENSEN

Agriculture and Agri-Food

Canada

hEAThER klEB

Canadian Nuclear Association

lyNN kRIWokEN

Ministry o Environment,

British Columbia

TIM kRyWulAk

Council o Canadian Academies

RoBERT kulhAWy


the Environmental and the Economy

BoB lARoCquEForest Products Association o Canada

MARIE-ClAuDE lEClERC

Regroupement des Organismes de Bassins

Versants du Qubec

ToNy MAAS

World Wild lie Fund (WWF) - Canada

CAIRINE MACDoNAlD

Government o British Columbia

DAVID MARShAll

Fraser Basin Council

DoN McCABE

Ontario Federation o Agriculture

DAVID MclAuGhlIN

National Round Table on the

Environment and the Economy

RICk MEyERS


FRANCIS MIChAuD

Oce o the Auditor General

o Qubec

BRENT MooRE

Devon Canada Corporation

SANDEEP PANDhER


MARk PARENT



DoN PEARSoN

Conservation Ontario

RAlPh PENTlANDCanadian Water Issues Council

RIChARD PhIllIPS

Bow River Irrigation District


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ANDR PlouRDE

Carleton University

STEVEN RENzETTI

Brock University

TARA ShEA


RoBERT SlATER

National Round Table on the

Environment and the Economy

FRANoIS SoulARD

Statistics Canada

ANDR ST-hIlAIRE

INRS ETE

MARy TRuDEAu

ICF Marbek

kIRSTEN VICE

National Council or Air and

Stream Improvement, Inc. (NCASI)

BERNARD VIGNE AulT

Natural Resources Canada

JENNIFER VINCENT

Environment Canada

ANThoNy WATANABE

The Innovolve Group Inc.

NADIA zENADoCChIo

Oce o the Auditor General o Qubec


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APPENDIx I I I : WATER FORuM AGENDA

8:00 8:30 Registratin and Breaast

8:30 8:45 Wecme and opening RemarsRbert SaterNRT Vice-Chair

8:45 9:00 overview Charting A CourseRecmmendatins Ji Baer, NRT

9:00 9:50

Pane I: Water Frecasts and te Imprtance Water Data and Inrmatin

* All panel presentations to be followed bydiscussion with participants

Tn MaasWWF Canada

Antn WatanabeInnovolve

9:50 10:45 Pane II: Ptting a Price n Water

Steven RenettiBrock University

kirsten ViceNCASI

10:45 11:00 heat Brea

11:00 11:50 Pane III: Cabrative Water Gvernance

David MarsaFraser Basin Council

Dn PearsnConservation Ontario

11:50 12:00 Instrctins r te Aternn SessinFaciitatrGerge GreeneStratos Inc.

12:00 13:00 Netwring lnc

13:00 15:00 otining an Actin Pan Sma Grp Discssin

15:00 15:15 heat Brea

15:15 16:15Pane IV: Starting t ActMderatr: Mar Parent, NRT Member

Cairine MacDnad,Government of BritishColumbia

Jean Cin-Mars,Government of Qubec

David B. Brs, POLIS

16:15 16:30 Csing RemarsRbert SaterNRT Vice-Chair


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ABOUT US

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