Watershed Security Commitments
BC Election 2024

The BC Watershed Security Coalition has been advocating for actions and commitments from all political parties to continue building momentum and advancing watershed security across BC.

Our Three Asks
1. Increasing Funding For Watershed Security
2. Training And Growing The Watershed Workforce
3. Enabling Local Watershed Boards.

Learn More About Our Asks

 Below are the commitments to advance Watershed Security by all political parties in the 2024 BC Election 

Read the full BC NDP Platform Here

Building Strong & Prepared Communities

  1. Helping protect homes, communities and local watersheds by ramping up active forest management. By partnering with communities and First Nations to proactively remove highly flammable woody material and prune tree stands and remove debris, we can slow or stop the spread of wildfires and protect primary water sources for communities – while making better use of all fibre by supplying local mills with fire- damaged timber and waste that would have otherwise been burned or decayed. 
  2. Making sure BC communities have secure sources of clean water for the future by putting land use and watershed planning in the hands of local communities,  farmers and businesses, in partnership with First Nations, and supporting those communities to identify and prioritize local water use.
  3. Advancing work on flood prevention in the Sumas Prairie through integrating flood mitigation infrastructure with our Highway 1 expansion. 

Protecting Nature

  1. Moving BC closer to its goal of protecting 30% of provincial lands by 2030 by working with First Nations, Ottawa and local communities on a shared, ambitious commitment to defend and preserve critical, at- risk ecosystems. This is the single strongest step we can take in our fight against biodiversity loss and is a critical part of our climate action plan. And it would all be mowed down for short-term gain by John Rustad. 
  2. Driving a made-in-BC strategy to protect BC’s biodiversity and ecological integrity. Our province is home to the richest, most complex and diverse ecosystems in Canada it is our collective responsibility to act urgently to protect it. That’s why we’ll work to protect biodiversity and critical ecosystems alongside First Nations, communities, workers, industry, organizations, and the public. Through this collaborative work with local people and communities, BC is breaking from outdated conservation models, and will objectively set and deliver on science-based targets to protect water and natural systems that support all of us.
  3. Protecting more old growth in partnership with First Nations by completing the provincial commitment set out in the Old Growth Strategic Review's 14 recommendations.
  4. Engaging youth to build a stronger future. We’ll expand the Youth Climate Corps across BC, providing training and paid work for young people between age 17-30 who want to start their careers by making a difference on climate action in their communities in a way that makes communities safer and more prosperous.
  5. Protecting communities and local watersheds by phasing out the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly, Round- Up) in BC forests.
  6. Expanding our investment in salmon restoration to more projects that are restoring estuaries, inter-tidal zones, and critical salmon spawning habitats.

Deliver Food Security For BC Through A Stronger Agricultural Industry

  1. Making sure BC communities have secure sources of clean water for the future by putting land use and watershed planning in the hands of local communities, farmers and businesses, in partnership with First Nations, and funding those communities to identify and prioritize local water use. This builds on our existing Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program that supports food producers to store and improve their water supply for irrigation and livestock.

 

Read the full BC Conservative Platform Here

Securing BC’s water supply for agriculture

  1. Renew BC’s flood mitigation infrastructure so the 2021 floods cannot happen again. We will establish permanent flood protection in high-risk agricultural areas like the Sumas Prairie, safeguarding our farmland, infrastructure, and supply chains.
  2. Invest in large-scale water storage and infrastructure by expanding reservoir capacity on farms and in rural communities. We will provide funding for on-farm water storage and irrigation systems, reducing dependence on fluctuating water sources.
  3. Protect the agricultural water supply in legislation, to ensure farmers have secure and long-term access to water for food production.
  4. Plan for water sustainability in partnership with farmers and ranchers to balance the water needs of food producers and local communities. These plans should include climate resilience measures and protections to sustain food production during droughts or floods.
  5. Comprehensively research and monitor the state of BC’s water supply by measures including a research chair to conduct ongoing study into the state of water reserves and availability in BC for people, agriculture, and wildlife.

Affordability, Reliability, and Energy Independence

  1. Support BC Hydro’s drought resilience efforts, which include capital projects and improved forecasting and monitoring technology.

 

 

Read the full BC Green Platform Here

Create Watershed Boards

  1. Create and support watershed boards in every community. These boards will be granted authority over decisions that affect watershed security
     and will serve as collaborative platforms where First Nations and local stakeholders - farmers, industry representatives, commercial users, and environmental stewards - can collaboratively manage and conserve their local water sources.
  2. We will commit $100 million to fund the establishment and ongoing support of watershed boards across the province, ensuring their sustainability and effectiveness.

Streamline the Water Sustainability Act

  1. Set clear environmental and critical flow thresholds to safeguard water ecosystems and ensure sustainable water use across the province.
  2.  Safeguard drinking water sources by implementing stronger protections and monitoring to prevent contamination and overuse.
  3. Require industries to accurately report their water use and provide state-of-the-watershed reporting, improving transparency and resource management.
  4.  Grant an amnesty to farmers and long-standing water users who missed previous deadlines, allowing them to apply for water licenses before new users.
  5. Update the “first-in-time, first-in-right” principle to reflect modern realities, ensuring allocations are adaptable and durable.
  6. Empower local watershed boards to have a role in critical water-use decisions.
  7. Improve the Ministry of Environment’s ability to administer penalties, enhancing compliance with water use regulations and protecting water resources.

Invest in Watershed Security

  1. Leverage federal funding to create a $1 billion endowment for the BC Watershed Security Fund. The fund will support community planning, decision-making functions, and natural defenses against floods, fires, droughts, and contamination.
  2. Provide $75 million annually to the BC Watershed Security Fund to ensure sustainable, long-term investment in watershed management.
  3. Mandate that municipalities install water meters to track water usage, ensuring accountability and promoting conservation.
  4. Fund and implement the BC Flood Strategy by 2027 to protect floodplain communities and agricultural land from climate-related
     flooding risks.
  5. Invest in building more water storage reservoirs and bolster wetlands to enhance water retention and resilience against drought.

Reform Water Use

  1. Protect the province’s water resources to ensure long-term water security.
  2. Increase water rental rates to reflect the true ecological costs of water extraction in BC.
  3. Commit to an ongoing, comprehensive review of water rental rates to ensure they remain fair and reflective of ecological values.
  4. Suspend all non-essential industrial water uses, including fracking and water bottling, during periods of severe drought to prioritize essential water needs.
  5. Mandate the treatment and increased reuse of fracking wastewater to minimize the use of fresh water in fracking operations.
  6. Implement stricter standards for disposal wells and require baseline and ongoing testing of water systems affected by oil and gas operations.
  7. Transfer water licensing and permitting authority back to the Water Stewardship Branch, ending preferential treatment for oil and gas companies and ensuring stricter oversight. 

Authorized by Makeway Charitable Society, registered sponsor under the Election Act, [email protected]