Goals and Objectives:
The Foundation's goal for our Fresh Water Resources Protection Programme is:
To support the development of a comprehensive legal, regulatory, and citizen action framework for the purpose of protecting the quality and quantity of fresh water resources for future generations of Canadians.
Funding we provide through the Fresh Water Resources Protection programme has 3 objectives:
- Sustainable watershed governance: To encourage policies and programs that foster an integrated watershed management approach that embeds conservation and demand management as the foundation of water management.
- Groundwater conservation: To support better understanding and appropriate management of our groundwater resources.
- Transboundary water security: To foster Canadian capacity for effective governance of transboundary waters.
Governance is defined as the process by which stakeholders articulate their interests, their input is absorbed, decisions are taken and implemented, and decision-makers are held accountable (adapted from the Institute on Governance). Governance looks beyond just government in policy development and decision making to include roles for other important non-state actors.
Nonetheless we recognize the crucial need for effective government leadership in the context of 'good' water governance in Canada, and appropriate roles and responsibilities of all levels of government. The emphasis here on governance is not meant to imply a reduced role for government in watershed management.
We recognize that groundwater and surface water are linked, and should be managed in an integrated way. However, the relative lack of knowledge about our groundwater resources and tools for appropriately managing them make integrated management difficult to apply and suggest a need for focus on this aspect of water management in particular. Similarly, water quality and quantity are closely connected and should be managed as such.
We also recognize that climate change is relevant to each of the objectives. It will alter water availability and necessitate new approaches to management and increased emphasis on conservation.
The Context
Our focus at the Gordon Foundation is strengthening public policy. In order to better understand the Foundation's interest in Fresh Water and the approaches that guide our decision making, you are encouraged to review additional information we have provided on our website, particularly the "Highlights" under each Objective.
Please take note as well of the Strategies for our grant making in the Water Programme. The Summary Report of the Foundation's 2006 "Protecting Our Water Resources" water policy symposium also gives an excellent overview of the projects we currently support.
Water Policy Fellowships
Each year, the Foundation will award Water Policy Fellowships to four graduate students in Canadian Universities for projects to partner with NGOs.
Do you have a project or idea?
- Find out if your project fits the programme’s watershed governance, groundwater conservation or transboundary security objectives.
- Read our general application information.
- For more information about the Fresh Water Resources Protection Programme, or to discuss your project or organization, please contact Tim Morris, Programme Officer, at tim(at)gordonfn.org or (416) 601-4776 (ext. 230).