Whereas the Province of BC enacted a Water Sustainability Act modernization in 2016 which has provisions for setting Water Objectives and creating Water Sustainability Plans; And whereas Local Governments, Improvement Districts, Water Use Communities, Community Watersheds and unorganized Water User Groups have an interest in the protection and governance of watersheds and aquifers that provide drinking water, irrigation and fisheries resources and have further interest in enabling sustainable real estate development as the effects of climate change become increasingly more evident: Therefore be it resolved that the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development work with UBCM and water governance specialists to establish regulations, implement Water Objectives, and designate areas for Water Sustainability Plans, where necessary to ease the tensions arising due to competition between domestic and agricultural water use, source protection, resource extraction and wildfire mitigation.
Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, in partnership with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, is currently working on policy to support development of water objectives and water sustainability plans for the province. Opportunities to test these policies are currently being evaluated.A watershed governance pilotin the Nicola Watershed has been initiated. The signed MOU establishes the government-to-government relationship between provincial ministries and First Nations. Local government and stakeholder engagement for the Nicola watershed governance pilot has been initiated, and communication with First Nations, local governments, and stakeholders is ongoing. Use of these Water Sustainability Act tools will be phased in and coordinated with the broad range of ongoing government initiatives, including land use planning and assessing cumulative effects. Government is committed to working with First Nations and communities to modernize land-use planning while sustainably managing B.C.s ecosystems, rivers, lakes, watersheds, forests and old growth. Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Government acknowledges and thanks local governments for their continued interest in supporting improved watershed and aquifer protection and management, alternative watershed governance, and source water protection. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy continues to support the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development with the implementation of the Water Sustainability Act WSA, including work on regulations such as Water Objectives, Water Sustainability Planning, and exploring alternative water governance models. The Province continues to explore opportunities to pilot WSA management and governance tools using a phased approach that maintains awareness of other ongoing initiatives, existing resources available, and opportunities to build better relationships with local and Indigenous governments and communities across the Province. Local government participation and support will continue to be vital for the success of these initiatives. This phase of WSA regulation and policy development will continue to take time as the Province engages with the many different parties who may be affected by these new regulations and policies; that broad engagement is foundational to developing good public policy.