Canadians are among some of the most water-rich people globally, with access to about 20 per cent of the world’s freshwater supply and .
As a result, Canadians are among the most water-greedy nations in the world, with .
Canadians consume double the . Canada was the second largest consumer of water in 2017, dropping only to .
Canada has been largely immune to the , as the are so vividly illustrating.
But Canada’s privileged position will not last forever. Unless properly managed, even Canada’s water supplies will eventually run out.
It’s time to challenge our wasteful ways and accept that even in Canada, water must be managed effectively to sustain economic development and societal growth under increasing climate pressures.
Draining the well
Water in Canada is . What this means is that the exploitation of water from rivers, lakes and groundwater reservoirs is largely a provincial and territorial responsibility. In some cases, this governance is subject to agreements with or .
There is no federal authority over water decision-making in Canada. This lack of oversight complicates data collection, data access and overall water management — though the soon-to-launch .
The is highly complex. Water supply in Canada is dependent upon seasonal changes and weather patterns, permafrost, glaciers, snow and snowmelt, wetlands and a range of other factors. What’s more, water flows in most of Canada are
Compounding these issues is the of Canadian rivers primarily for energy and resource extraction. These uses, coupled with a lack of transparency around reporting changes in river flows, .
The impact of global warming
Climate change .
The warming already being experienced has resulted in unusually extreme events ranging from — , similar to those currently decimating Los Angeles — to .
Most of Canada will have to adapt to with competing demands for the limited supply.
The covering southern Alberta and Saskatchewan is the driest region of Canada and was . Modern engineering has turned this region into , contributing . This engineering, however, is heavily reliant on water supply.
The agriculture industry in Alberta is responsible for around 45 per cent of Alberta’s overall . A staggering .
Despite growing water efficiencies, agricultural users still remove water from the system for longer periods of time than municipal or residential users, resulting in a greater . Indeed, factoring in per-capita use across all sectors shoots the litres of water used per day across Canada up from 220 to more than 400 litres.
These are unsustainable levels of water use and Alberta in particular is challenged by diminishing water supply and .
Mismanagement
Complicating the water management landscape are transboundary water agreements designed to equitably share water across jurisdictional boundaries.
Alberta’s water is shared with Manitoba and Saskatchewan through the , and a . At the same time, the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty between the United States and Canada governs the transboundary .
These water agreements are designed to avoid inequalities and ensure that all those within the basin have equal access. However, the dual threat of climate change and increasing demand pressures may stretch many to the breaking point.
Looking for how best to effectively and sustainably manage water resources for all Canadians and the ecosystem is perhaps our best option. Canada’s current political and water governance system is, however, not designed to effectively support this.
Water governance is fragmented across many jurisdictions with little care for overall basin health and the ubiquitous water license system prioritizes agricultural and industrial users. Such management principles do not promote sustainability, nor do they provision for or unlicensed users (such as Indigenous communities).
Wider repercussions
Access to water is intrinsically linked to . Meanwhile access to water is itself dependent upon healthy and stable ecosystems. Our current system of fragmented oversight and privileged licences is not an effective means to ensure Canada’s long-term water security.
The Alberta government has made it clear it’s more concerned with the than the rights of citizens, the ecosystem and Canada’s Indigenous Peoples.
Transformative adaptation of water policy is required to secure Canada’s water future. Canada urgently needs a federally enacted co-operative governance model to oversee water information, protection, licensing and allocation.
Addressing these grand water challenges requires an ambitious at a scale never before undertaken in Canada, simulating whole-system pressures and ecosystem feedbacks to understand the socioeconomic impacts imposed by climate change.
In every challenge, however, there lies great opportunity.
The choices we make today will impact our children and their children and will literally mean the difference between them thriving or surviving as a society. Ultimately, it is us and our way of being that must adapt to new extremes — not the other way around.
Tricia Stadnyk receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
