Exploring the Changing Role of the Natural Resource Sectors in Canadian Water Governance Workshop

February 1, 2010 - Toronto

Workshop overview

The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) is undertaking a two year research program on Water Sustainability and the Future of Canada?s Natural Resource Sectors. The program will examine the demands and reliance of agriculture, forestry, mining, and energy sectors on water, and the implications for the sustainability of our economy and ecosystems of the water demands of these sectors. As part of the research agenda, the NRTEE is collaborating with the Water Policy and Governance Group on a workshop designed to explore the changing landscape of water governance in Canada, focusing on implications for industries in the natural resource sectors. The workshop seeks to foster a dialogue across natural resource sectors that addresses the following three questions:

• How do sector representatives view their roles in collaborative water governance processes?
  
  
• What challenges and opportunities do these processes pose for firms in the sector?
  
  
• Which experiences and lessons learned in the context of specific processes, sectors and regions are relevant elsewhere?

Objectives

• To clarify the implications of collaborative water governance for firms and organizations that are part of Canada?s natural resource sector (energy, forestry, agriculture and mining).
• To explore the roles Canada?s resource sector organizations can and should play in these processes.
• To identify cross-cutting lessons for improving water governance using recent experiences from across Canada that are broadly relevant to firms and organizations in the natural resource sector.

Agenda

Exploring the Changing Role of the Natural Resource Sectors in Canadian Water Governance Workshop
February 1, 2010, Toronto
Fairmont Royal York, Manitoba Room
100 Front Street West, Toronto

A. Getting Started and Context	9:00
Welcome and Purpose / Setting the Stage
Background and Context : How water governance is evolving in Canada
B. Experiences From the Natural Resources Sector Presentations and discussion on the following questions: How has the role of the sector changed in Canadian water governance in your region? What is working well? What are the implementation challenges?	9:45
A series of presentations from each Sector
C. Issues and Challenges Successfully collaborating in making water decisions in Canada in your Sector: What are the cross-cutting issues/challenges and most promising solutions?	13:00
Discussion 1: Issues and Challenges
Discussion 2: Solutions
D. Moving Forward	16:00
Next Steps
Closing remarks

Participants

Jill Baker
Senior Policy Advisor
National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Katherine Balpataky
Research Associate
National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Bob Bedggood
Chair
Source Protection Committee

Bill Borland
Vice President, Canadian Federal Programs
AMEC Earth & Environmental

Bill Bourgeois
Former vice-president, Environment and Government Affairs of Lignum;
Resource Management Ltd

Mark Cliffe-Phillips
Regulatory Specialist
Wekweti Land and Water Board

Bernadette Conant
Executive Director
Canadian Water Network

Maura Dales
Cabinet Liaison Office
Ministry of the Environment, Government of Ontario, representing the Canadian Council of Environment Ministers Water Agenda Development Committee
Government of Ontario

Rob de Lo?
University Research Chair, In Water Policy and Governance at the University of Waterloo and Director of the Water Policy and Governance Group
University of Waterloo

Ren Drolet
Director of Policy & Research
National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Katie Fairman
Supervisor, Implementation
Source Protection Branch
Ontario Ministry of the Environment

Susan Farquharson
Executive Director
Canadian Rivers Institute

Stella Fedeniuk
Regional Water Resources Engineer,
Planning, Water Management Practices Section
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Cecilia Ferreyra
Senior Advisor, Policy Development, Environmental Governance
Alberta Environment

Lise Hebabi
Senior Consultant and Facilitator
Groupe Intersol Group

Stephen Hawboldt
Executive Director
Clean Annapolis River Project

Christopher Hilkene
NRTEE Member
National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Marc Hudon
Director
St. Lawrence River/Great Lakes Program
Nature Qubec (UQCN); President, Priority Intervention Zone Committee (Comit ZIP Saguenay) on the Saguenay River

Paul Kariya
Executive Director
The Independent Power Producers Association of B.C.

Mike Kelly
Vice President
Alberta Water Council

Gillian Kerr
Water Allocation Management Strategy, Lead, Environmental Assurance
Alberta Environment

David Livingstone
Consultant
Government of the NWT

Gordon Macdonald
Principal Advisor, Sustainable Development
Diavik Diamond Mines Inc.

Yvon Maranda
Chef de service, Service de la gestion intgre de l?eau
Ministre du Dveloppement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Qubec

David Marshall
Executive Director
Fraser Basin Council

Brad May
Manager, Adaptations and Impacts Research Division
Environment Canada

David McLaughlin
President and CEO
National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Jessica Paterson
Water Strategy Coordinator, Water & Wastewater Branch
Nova Scotia Environment

Tara Payment
Environment and Regulatory Analyst,
Western Operations
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers

Richard Phillips
General Manager
Bow River Irrigation District

Allison Rippin-Armstrong
Environmental Consultant (with focus on mining exploration companies, permitting and environmental issues)
Starfield Resources Inc.

Hugh Simpson
Program Analyst
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Georgia Simms
Research Associate
Water Policy and Governance at the University of Waterloo

Becky Swainson
Research Associate
Water Policy and Governance at the University of Waterloo

Luc Vescovi
Conseil de la science et de la technologie du Qubec

Michelle Vessey
Manager, Environment and Technical Development
Catalyst Paper Crofton Division

Jennifer Vincent
Policy Development, Strategic Policy Directorate
Environment Canada

Paul Wilson
Manager, Water Planning Section Sustainable Planning Branch
New Brunswick Department of the Environment

Photos