Water Policy Fellowships

Tony's work as a Gordon Foundation Fellow examined how ecosystem needs are addressed in water allocation systems internationally, in a number of Canadian provinces and in a local jurisdiction, the Region of Waterloo. His work stressed that the integration of ecosystem needs into water planning is both a scientific problem (because of incomplete knowledge) and a governance problem and included a number of recommendations on how governance issues can be addressed.

Tony has continued his working relationship with the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, the NGO partner for his Fellowship work. At POLIS, he is currently working on two projects relating to water governance. The first of these is the development of a citizen's guide to participation in water governance, with an emphasis on water allocation and urban water planning. The second project aims to move the concept of water soft path planning from a concept to practice.

The Gordon Fellowship provided Tony with the financial resources to conduct more robust research as a Masters student than would otherwise have been possible. Perhaps more importantly, Tony feels that it provided him with the opportunity to apply the theories and ideas explored in his thesis to water policy development and advocacy.