Water

Water is one of Canada’s most important resources — on a national and global scale. It supports life in both our fresh water and marine ecosystems; is used in agriculture, recreation and industry; and even sustains human life. Considering that Canada holds one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, it’s easy for Canadians to think of our water as an unlimited resource. However, we still face both water quality and quantity concerns. Not only are Canadians one of the highest municipal consumers of water, using on average 622 litres per capita per day, but our resources also face a wide variety of pollution threats, including:

• municipal wastewater effluents from inadequate waste water treatment practices;
• waterborne pathogens from human and live stock waste;
• algal toxins and nutrient overloads from urban and agricultural run-off;
• aquatic acidification;
• bulk water exports;
• impacts of chemical, temperature and sediment changes caused by dams and water diversions;
• endocrine-disrupting substances that can cause multigenerational effects on development and reproduction;
• industrial point source discharges such as waste from mines and the petrochemical industry and
• invasive species that change ecosystem dynamics.

For this reason, water issues related to fresh water and marine conservation were identified during the 2009 issues assessment as one of the most important areas in which to take action.

Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA)
The amendments made to the Navigable Waters Protection Act, found in the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, Bill C-10, could significantly reduce the number of protected waterways in Canada. CWF urged Canadians to voice their concerns by signing a petition that was sent to the Honourable John Baird, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. A presentation to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, was also made by a member of CWF’s conservation team to voice our concerns about the implications of the amendments on wildlife. While the legislation was passed by the government, CWF was pleased to see many of the Senate Committee’s recommendations in its assessment.

The amendments resulted in an interim ministerial order, which was replaced by proposed regulations in fall 2009. Upon announcement of public consultation, CWF helped shape the policy by providing input on the risks of the amendments on the environment.

B.C. Supreme Court Rules for Regulation of Fish Farms
CWF applauded the B.C. Supreme Court’s ruling that fish farms were to be considered a fishery instead of agriculture, thereby making the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) legally responsible for the regulation of salmon farming.

Regulatory responsibilities include deciding where farms are allowed to be placed. As it stands, they are often found on or near wild salmon migration routes, which can leave wild populations vulnerable to diseases and parasites carried by the farmed fish. The interactions between escaped farmed fish and wild populations have not been characterized, in addition to the lack of knowledge of the long-term effects of these facilities on the native population or its habitat.
 
CWF urged DFO to conduct research that will identify the effects of deleterious substances on, and maintain protection of, wild fish populations and their habitat as per the fisheries act. We will continue to encourage the consideration of closed containment technologies for salmon aquaculture.