Panel Calls for Strong Action on Water

An independent research and advisory panel that learned it would be killed in last month's federal budget, is recommending dramatic action to protect Canada's water, including a new charter, and better research and pricing of the resource.

The report from the National Round Table on the Environment and Economy followed discussions between industry and academic stakeholders in January.

"There was clear consensus among the experts and participants at the Forum that now is the time to begin acting on many of our recommendations for better water governance, exploring the use of water pricing and investing in water-use forecasting and data," said a joint statement from the advisory's president, David McLaughlin, and its vice-chairman, Robert W. Slater.

"Participants felt so strongly about the importance of these issues, they developed a new recommendation to create a charter affirming the legitimacy of Collaborative water governance processes."

The participants came from a variety of different organizations across the country, including oilsands companies, the forest industry and the financial sector.

The report also noted the importance of data collection as an important economic opportunity for the future to identify needs as well as the quality and status of the resource.