A Day on the Hill for Water: meeting with our elected officials for the future of water

On October 18th and 19th, an important event will take place on parliament hill for the very first time: A Day on the Hill for Water. The Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters is inviting its members and over 20 deciders from the Canadian government to join them on parliament hill in order to discuss our most important resource: water.

The Objective

In August, the Liberal party of Canada promised 1 billion dollars over 10 years to restore and protect our large lake and river ecosystems. Unfortunately, the money was not available in the last budget, and what’s more, a 1 billion $ investment isn’t enough.

“The water issue is of utmost importance. It cannot be pushed to the side, as it is a vital and irreplaceable resource. We have hope that we will be heard by our political deciders and that they will understand the urgency we are faced with. We are all affected by this issue.” - Dominique Monchamp, general director of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and member of the Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters’ board of directors.

We Need to Act Now!

The water crisis is real and isn’t only an issue in other countries. In fact, 60% of the world’s fresh water and drinking water is contained in only 9 countries. Canada alone holds close to 20% of the world’s renewable fresh water reserves.

Fresh Water Sources

According to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Collaborative and their 2020-2030 action plan, 2.2 billion $ over 10 years are required to protect the Great Lakes and the Saint-Lawrence River; and that’s only for Quebec. The country of Canada counts 563 lakes with a surface area of over 100 square kms and the largest hydrographic network in the world.

Infrastructures

It is important to specify that the health of our water isn’t solely dependent on the protection of our fresh water and inland water sources, but also on the upgrade and maintenance of our aqueduct and water treatment systems. According to the Centre for Expertise and Research for Infrastructures in Urban Areas’ 2019 annual report, our water infrastructures in Quebec have an active maintenance deficit of close to 17 billion $. The situation is no doubt similar in the other provinces.
The investment that has to be made in order to preserve the health of our fresh water and inland water on a national scale is therefore much greater!

Known Solutions

Reseau Environnement et Strategies Saint-Laurent have identified key issues with the goal of modernizing municipal wastewater treatment and water resource collection stations in Quebec. In their Sanitation 2.0 report, they propose solutions to 10 major issues:

1. Bio surveillance of the ecosystems
2. Better support
3. Non-normed harmful compounds
4. Reduction of the flow and contaminants at the source
5. Reduction of overflows
6. Non-connected systems
7. Pilot projects and new technologies
8. Governance
9. Stable and predictable funding
10. Beaches and nautical activities

“The recommendations proposed fit into the perspective of a green economy, which is an approach to implement sustainable development that will improve human wellbeing and social equity while significantly reducing environmental risks and resource shortage.”, explains the Reseau Environnement et Strategies Saint-Laurent.

Shared Responsibility

Managing and protecting our water isn’t solely the federal government’s responsibility. Every level of government is involved: countries, provinces, and municipalities alike. However, creating an open dialogue with our elected officials is the first step towards the implementation of efficient and durable solutions. Their support is necessary, as well as the obtention of the funding we need.

The Organizers

The Canadian Coalition for Healthy Waters is a nonpartisan coalition that brings together over 60 Canadian organizations from across the country. They have joined forces in order to defend the health of our fresh water and inland water in all its forms. The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is proud to be one of its instigating members.

The coalition’s actions are based on 3 key points:

• Establishing a solid Canadian Water Agency
• Renewing the law on Canada’s water sources that is over 50 years old
• Putting into place a Canadian water fund in order to invest 225 million $ a year in the health of Canada’s waters

If these points speak to you and you care about protecting Canada’s water, become a member of the coalition and join us on October 18th and 19th for A Day on the Hill for Water!