Toxics Watch Society of Alberta

Water for Life:  Alberta’s Strategy for Sustainability (2003) is a positive step forward for water management in Alberta.  It embraces a watershed approach to water management planning that allows for water and land issues to be dealt with in tandem.  It advocates a collaborative multi-stakeholder governance model. If implemented it has the potential to greatly improve the ways Albertans use and think about water and poises Alberta as leader in protecting watersheds.  Water for Life is a well-designed strategy but unbalanced progress in implementing the strategy’s actions has limited its effectiveness to date.  Implementation of the strategy requires a renewed focus.

A coalition of citizen-based organizations, including Toxics Watch, came together and submitted a report (click to download) to the Alberta Water Council outlining its analysis and review of the strategy, and presenting recommendations for the renewal of the strategy. Issues addressed in this report include: funding, protection of drinking water sources, progress made on protecting healthy aquatic ecosystems, watershed planning, shared governance, and water conservation.

This report is a collaborative effort of the Alberta Wilderness Association, Bow Riverkeeper, Bragg Creek Environmental Coalition, the Canadian Federation of University Women (AB Council,  CFUW Lethbridge), The Pembina Institute, Sierra Club of Canada (Prairie Chapter),  Southern Alberta Group for the Environment, and Toxics Watch.