Research Area: Water Sustainability

2015

Brandes, O.M., Carr-Wilson, S., Curran, D., & Simms, R. (2015). Awash with Opportunity: Ensuring the Sustainability of B.C.’s New Water Sustainability Act. Victoria, Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria.

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In May 2014, the Province of British Columbia enacted the new Water Sustainability Act, which provides an unprecedented opportunity to fully modernize British Columbia’s water law regime. This report provides an analysis of the Water Sustainability Act and the core regulations required to bring its sustainable aspects into full effect. It outlines leading best practices from around the globe and offers clear recommendations for WSA regulation development in five key areas: (1) Groundwater licensing; (2) Environmental flows; (3) Monitoring and reporting; (4) Water objectives; and (5) Planning and governance.

2014

Moore, M-L., von der Porten, S., Plummer, R., Brandes, O.M., & Baird, J., 2014. "Water policy reform and innovation: A systematic review." Environmental Science & Policy, available online February 6, 2014.

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Brandes, O.M., O’Riordan, J., O’Riordan, T., & Brandes, L. 2014. A Blueprint for Watershed Governance in British Columbia. Victoria, Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria.

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This report focuses on current water governance issues in British Columbia and offers a path forward for how the Province could transform its current approaches to decision-making to ensure a more sustainable and resilient future—especially given the provincial government’s commitment to new water legislation by later in 2014. It sets out a strategic 10-year program and proposes nine winning conditions to ensure success. Recognizing the unique institutional, legal, cultural, and geographic challenges of the province, this Blueprint outlines a timeline and clear milestones for moving towards watershed governance in B.C.
Curran, D. 2014. British Columbia's New Water Sustainability Act—Waiting for the Details. Victoria, Canada: Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria.

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POLIS Partner and Advisor Deborah Curran (Hakai Professor in Environmental Law and Sustainability, Environmental Law Centre, University of Victoria) authored this summary analysis of B.C.'s new Water Sustainability Act.

2013

Maas, C., 2013. Transitioning the New Construction Sector to Water-Sensitive Design. Victoria, Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria.

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Maas, C., 2013. Building Professional Capacity for a Water Sensitive Future in Ontario. Victoria, Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria.

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Parfitt, B., 2013. Counting Every Drop: The Case for Water-Use Reporting in BC. Victoria: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria/Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

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This report argues that the B.C. provincial government should safeguard the public interest by creating a robust, publicly accessible water-use database that covers all withdrawals from both surface and groundwater sources by major users. It recommends three immediate courses of action to set the stage for a robust water use reporting regime in future years.
This report was co-published by the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. It is the second report in a series addressing the water-energy nexus in B.C. Download the first report.
Morris, T., and O.M. Brandes, 2013. The State of the Water Movement in British Columbia: A Waterscape Scan & Needs Assessment of B.C. Watershed-Based Groups. Victoria, Canada: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria & Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia.

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stateofwatermovement_lowres.pdf

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This report compiles the perspectives and opinions of a diverse mix of British Columbia’s water leaders; a survey was sent to over 230 water groups and interviews were conducted with 11 selected water champions. Based on the responses received, there is a clear feeling amongst B.C.’s water leaders that the province has the potential to become a global leader in freshwater protection and sustainability. But, there are a number of challenges to achieving this vision. The authors present a series of recommendations for addressing key needs and gaps in the B.C. water community and for strengthening the collective water movement.
This report was co-published by the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance and the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, in partnership with the Polis Foundation, to better understand the capacity, needs, and priorities of the freshwater community in B.C., and to identify some priorities for building the necessary leadership and capacity for freshwater protection in the province.
Belzile, J., Martin, M., Edwards, L., Brown, G., Brandes, L., & Warwick Sears, S. (2013, December). Water Conservation Guide for British Columbia. Victoria, Canada: B.C. Ministry of Community, Sport & Cultural Development.

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This guide outlines a seven-step water conservation planning process to help communities of all sizes work towards a healthy water future. It is designed to help small to mid-sized communities identify and realize their water conservation goals, and contains information that larger B.C. communities may also find useful. This guide was co-developed by POLIS, the B.C. Ministry of Community, Sport & Cultural Development, and the Okanagan Basin Water Board. It also features an accompanying workbook with checklists for each step. For a copy of the supplementary Water Conservation Guide worksheets, contact Madelaine Martin at Madelaine.Martin@gov.bc.ca.

2012

Maas, C., and P. Gilbride, 2012. Walking the Water Soft Path: York Region Water Strategy Puts Theory into Practice. Victoria: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria.

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This water soft path case study examines the innovative water strategy planning process used in York Region, Ontario. It marks the first investigation into the successes and challenges of putting soft path principles into practice.