Sierra Club of Canada continues work on sustainable water use in the Great Lakes and nationally
The following highlight of Sierra Club's two main areas of activity was provided by Tim Morris, Water Campaigner. The EBR posting of the proposed implementing legislation for the Great Lakes Charter Agreement is available at http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/envregistry/029085ea.htm.
Annex Implementation
This is a critical stage in the implementation of the Annex Agreement with all ten Great Lakes jurisdictions required to pass legislation to give force to the Agreement. The eight Great Lake states also need to obtain state and federal Congressional approval.
Sierra Club of Canada is working extensively with the Ontario government and a number of other organizations on the Annex Advisory Panel to ensure that provincial implementing legislation effectively protects Ontario's water resources and sets a leading precedent for the rest of the region. Key areas for implementation in Ontario include provisions on water conservation and efficiency, and the management of intra-basin transfers (transfers of water from one Great Lake watershed to another).
As well, Sierra Club of Canada is currently working with the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association and POLIS Project to publish a water conservation and efficiency primer that is directed at local and provincial governments, watershed agencies and non-governmental organizations. This document will highlight the importance of conservation and efficiency as a critical feature of the Annex Agreement and outline the actions required to produce a leading-edge water conservation program in an urban setting.
Through its Ontario Chapter, Sierra Club of Canada is also working with Sierra Club chapters in the United States to act as a basin-wide watchdog over the regional implementation of the Annex Agreement, actively sharing information and advice between the two Clubs, other NGO networks, and various government departments.
Progress Towards a National Water Strategy
Sierra Club of Canada is working with a number of organizations and leading water experts to push for federal action on water policy. It is twenty years since the publication of the last Federal Water Policy and very little action has been taken to implement it. Meanwhile, pressures on Canada's water resources are mounting due to climate change, increased demands, land-use changes, and tensions over boundary waters.
In recent years, a number of expert reports have emphasized the need for renewed federal commitment to water policy. Sierra Club of Canada is building on this foundation by outlining a focused set of recommendations for federal action in a handbook-style document directed at citizens, politicians and the media. This document will emphasize the urgent need for federal action and the key areas in which our national government must now act. It will also introduce the longer-term vision of a national water strategy, which envisages all levels of government working together with civil society to ensure Canada's water resources are governed in a more holistic and less fragmented way.
If you would like to learn more about this initiative, please contact Tim Morris, Water Campaigner, at tmorris(at)sierraclub.ca.