Resource industries are sucking Canada dry
Jeremy Harbeck/AFP/Getty Images
The report suggests that the federal government should co-ordinate a national approach to better manage water use and consumption while researching all of the risks
Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service · Thursday, Jun. 17, 2010
OTTAWA -- Natural resource industries in Canada are consuming about five times more water than the rest of the country, leaving the nation vulnerable to a looming scarcity challenge in the absence of a new national plan, says a new report published by a federal government advisory panel on business and environmental issues.
The study, Changing Currents, was produced by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy. It raised the concerns after finishing the first half of a two-year study examining whether Canada has enough water to support economic growth while maintaining healthy ecosystems.
“Canada’s apparent water abundance masks a looming scarcity challenge for our important natural resource sectors and for certain regions of our country,” said the report. “Water scarcity is not a national problem in Canada, but it is certainly a regional one and this can be of national significance. One need only look to the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan and to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley to witness clear examples of regions facing water shortages."
The report suggests that the federal government should co-ordinate a national approach to better manage use and consumption while researching all of the risks.
“There is an overall lack of capacity and expertise across the country to effectively manage water resources,”said the report. “This is reflected in the reduction of scientific capacity as well (as) policy expertise within governments.”
It also highlights a wide range of factors that could affect Canada’s supply of the resource.
“Between now and 2050, Canada’s population is expected to increase by 25%, the Canadian economy is predicted to grow approximately 55% by 2030, and climate change is anticipated to increase temperatures, change precipitation patterns, and increase the frequency of extreme weather events such as floods and droughts,” said the report. “These stresses will impact Canada’s watersheds and create new pressures on the long-term sustainability of our water resources.”
Overall, the report said that natural resource industries account for about 84% of Canada’s gross water use. It said that thermal electrical power generation facilities and agriculture operations were among the greatest users of water, while the oil and gas sector uses smaller amounts but could cause impacts on water quality and ecosystem integrity in specific regions such as the oilsands.
The second half of the study is expected to be completed by next year, proposing specific solutions and actions to address the concerns.
Canwest News Service.
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