Lessons from Local Integrated Watershed Management

1. Lessons from Local Integrated Watershed Management Sonya Meek CWRA National President Global Issues Project – Water Issues Roundtable Canadian Pugwash – Science for Peace November 8, 2008

2. Case #1: Rouge River Watershed Plan • Led by multi-stakeholder task force • Interdisciplinary analysis of future scenarios at all scales on watershed basis • Strategic recommendations to guide sustainable urban growth and watershed regeneration • Approved March 2008 and it’s already being implemented by many partners

3. 12,000 ha of employment lands 12,000+ businesses 350,000+ employed in area (Canada’s largest employment area) 5.8 million MWh of electricity-use (1/26th of Ontario’s consumption) 46.5 million GJ of natural gas use 108.5 million m3 of water consumption 1.7 million tonnes of GHGs Case #2: Partners in Project Green – A Pearson Eco-business Zone Targets: • 20% energy reduction (2015) • 10% of buildings green retrofit (2015) • 10% renewable energy generation (2015) • 15% per capita (2025) (Peel)

4. Case #2 cont’d: Partners in Project Green – Programs and Projects • One-Window Eco-Efficiency Audit(free assessment, cost-shared audit and implementation assistance) • Green Building Retrofit(assistance on retrofitting multiple buildings) • Waste Re-Utilization Network(facilitating waste exchange opportunities) • Green Purchasing Blocks(multi-business procurement of green technologies) • Airport District Energy System(undertaking feasibility assessment of district energy opportunities) • Green Parking Lot Program(cost shared re-design of landscaped and parking areas) • Green Job Development(Green Job Corp. & Green Business Retention Strategy)

5. Lesson #1: IWM is effective and could be used elsewhere to achieve cooperative solutions. A few reasons why it’s effective: • Inclusive, shared decision-making (vs. top down) • Common vision and goals • Implementers are involved • Watershed is a manageable scale • Integrated – more creative solutions • Fosters shift toward demand management, “stewardship ethic”, “culture of conservation” • Fosters local champions

6. Implications for a Canadian National Water Strategy (CNWS) • Despite instances of local leadership, there is not always the capacity or full participation by all key players in all regions of Canada. • There is a need for a Canada-wide strategy that can facilitate effective leadership at all scales. • A CNWS could help clarify roles, address gaps in capacity and provide consistency among regions • A CNWS could ensure effective responses to current and emerging challenges and threats common across Canada.

7. Lesson #2: Principles of IWM could be followed in the development of an effective CNWS • Participation by all stakeholders • Commonly endorsed goals and principles • Specific commitments to action on key areas • Able to evolve and adapt • Mechanism to track implementation progress • Builds on existing governance structures

8. Proposed Process for Development of a CNWS Leadership Team Formation Discussion Paper Consensus Building Workshops Strategy Development

9. Sectoral Representation in Leadership Team • International • Federal • Aboriginal • Provincial • Local government • Water users • Water related NGOs

10. Summary – 3 Lessons • The IWM approach has the potential to be used elsewhere for achieving cooperative solutions to water management issues • A CNWS could facilitate the practice of local integrated watershed management (IWM) in Canada; Principles of IWM could be used in the process to develop an effective CNWS. • Although Canada is not the first country to develop a national water strategy, a CNWS and the process followed to develop it can be a model for cooperation in other diverse regions.

11. www.cwra.org Sonya Meek CWRA National President smeek@trca.on.ca