Growing freshwater challenges threaten Canada’s long-term security, federal memo warns

Detailed summary

Climate change, pollution and growing demand are putting pressure on water resources, raising concerns about supply

Pressures on the supply of fresh water pose challenges that will affect Canada’s “long-term security and prosperity” if left unaddressed, an internal government memo warns.

The document, prepared for Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, stresses a need to assess how Canada protects and sustainably manages freshwater resources – including waters shared with the United States – and how it responds to global water risks.

“Canadians will need more water to grow our cities and our economy, but it is unclear whether Canada is water secure for the long term,” the memo says.

The Canadian Press used the Access to Information Act to obtain the memo, written for Dabrusin by the Canada Water Agency, a federal organization that works to improve freshwater management.

Portions of the 12-page document were withheld under a provision of the law that allows the government to shield advice or recommendations from release.

The memo was intended to update the minister on the development of a national water security strategy. It says Dabrusin identified such a strategy as “a mission critical priority” in her reply to a call from Prime Minister Mark Carney for key portfolio objectives for cabinet members and secretaries of state.

A public consultation on developing the water security strategy took place from Sept. 9 through Oct. 25. Water stewardship is a shared responsibility in Canada and the water agency also engaged directly with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners.

It says although Canada has 20 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water, only one-third is salt-free and replaced annually through precipitation.

Most of Canada’s renewable surface fresh water drains northward, away from the most populated regions and economic centres located within 300 kilometres of the Canada-United States border, the document adds.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Globe and Mail (Report on Business). To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.