The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship is at the mid-way point of developing the Watershed Security Strategy and has now released a new intentions paper for stakeholder engagement.
In early 2022, the Province began engagement on the Strategy through a discussion paper. The Province heard from respondents, including local governments, that water and watersheds are very important to the social, cultural, environmental and economic well-being of British Columbians. However, respondents maintained that unsustainable water and land use, cumulative impacts of developments, invasive species and population growth are putting these values at risk. Climate change was also noted as making ecosystems and communities even more vulnerable to disasters like floods and drought.
To engage local governments on the strategy, the Province is running a survey until April 17th, and accepting written comments on the submission until April 30th. A webinar for local governments will be held on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, from 10-11:30 AM, and local governments are asked to RSVP to receive the Zoom link. Ministry staff will also be hosting several in-person engagement sessions in communities across BC in May.
Input received during this period will be summarized in a ‘What We Heard Report’, and feedback received after April 30, 2023, will not be included in the formal summary report. The Province expects to release the Watershed Security Strategy in winter 2023/2024.