News and Events

Setting a New Course in British Columbia - Water Governance Reform Options and Opportunities

A detailed policy discussion paper developed for the provincial government outlining various options and opportunities for water (and watershed) governance reform in British Columbia.

H2Ontario: A Blueprint for a Comprehensive Water Conservation Strategy

A policy position paper by Carol Maas urging the provincial government to adopt the necessary actions for Ontario to become a water conservation leader.

Public Trust Doctrine-Potential in Canadian Water and Environmental Management

A discussion paper by Ralph Pentland reviewing and outlining the potential for the Public Trust Doctrine in Canadian water and environmental management.

Survey Shows Politicians Failing Public by Ignoring BC Water Crisis

A survey by Ecojustice, a leading a group of B.C. water experts urges politicians to address the public’s well-founded concerns about water safety and shortages.

New Soft Path Book Available

Making the Most of the Water We Have is the first book anywhere in the world to comprehensively present and apply the water soft path approach. This publication focuses on various Canadian detailed studies but also takes a global perspective looking at examples and experiences from around the world. It demonstrates that soft path analysis is both analytical and practical, and emphasizes that Soft paths are not only conceptually attractive, but can also be economically and politically feasible.

Order a Copy

Greenhouse Gas and Energy Co-Benefits of Water Conservation

A report submitted submitted to Ontario Ministers of Environment, Energy and Infrastructure, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Natural Resources, Aboriginal Affairs by WSP Innovation and Technology Director Carol Maas

Water Conservation Planning Guide for British Columbia's Communities

The WSP and the Ministry of Community Development released a seven step "how to" water conservation planning guidebook in March 2009

Water Smart? We Won't be if the Promises Aren't Acted on

A commentary on water policy in British Columbia by Linda Nowlan, Randy Christensen, Oliver Brandes and Craig Orr

Flushing Away Valuable Energy

A commentary on Ontario's New Green Energy Act published in the Toronto Sun

The WaterSmart Scenario Builder is Here!

The WaterSmart Scenario Builder is a water soft path analysis tool that facilitates a systematic approach to determining the potential for water and energy savings through application of water conservation and efficiency measures. A Beta trial version is now available, please contact Carol Maas for access to the WaterSmart Scenario Builder.

Going with the Flow? Evolving Water Allocations and the Potential and Limits of Water Markets in Canada

A report by Oliver M Brandes, Linda Nowlan and Katie Paris released in February 2009 by the Conference Board of Canada

Freshwater Declaration

Oliver M Brandes worked as part of a group of leading Canadian scientists, water law and policy experts and environmental activists to help develop and release this 'call to action' for all levels of government

Project Objectives

» Examine emerging national water issues, including a survey of best practices in soft path and demand-side management in Canada and abroad;
» Develop innovative governance options that embed sustainable water management in all levels of government, including "watershed governance" as an alternative to current centralized, hierarchical and sectoral governance approaches;
» Advance water law reforms and policy decision-making tools that promote sustainable water management, long-term integrative planning, and institutional change that enables ecologically based water allocations;
» Create a national network of experts and others interested in the new paradigm of sustainable water management to contribute to and use these models as practical tools for policy and institutional change;
» Increase public awareness around the importance, and limits, of water in Canada, thereby ensuring that WSP objectives are met as part of a larger cultural change.

About the Project

The Water Sustainability Project (WSP) began in 2003 at the University of Victoria's POLIS Project on Ecological Governance in British Columbia, Canada.

The WSP recognizes that water scarcity is largely a social dilemma that cannot be solved by technical innovations alone. Instead this crisis of governance must be addressed through new integrated approaches to water management and decision-making that embeds the notion of ecological sustainability in government, business and industry, and civil society.

By focusing on fundamental governance issues such as long-term comprehensive watershed based planning, decision making, innovative institutional and ecosystem-based legal reforms, the WSP seeks to establish a new water paradigm based on conservation, stewardship and sustainability. To address this challenge the project is divided into three core research themes crucial to a sustainable water future:

» Water Conservation & The Soft Path
» Water-Energy Nexus
» Law, Policy & Governance

As a critical aspect of this initiative the WSP continues to develop innovative legal, institutional and practical approaches that embody the principles of ecological governance. Our work provides the foundation for a comprehensive legal and policy framework for sustainable water management and is complemented by detailed action plans for federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada.