In British Columbia, new legislation is urgently needed to address dwindling water sources and current threats to water. B.C. experienced record levels of drought last summer. Fracking, mining and bottled water industries are draining water at unsustainable rates and are competing with communities for access to local resources. Provincial legislation is needed before water sources are drained dry in the province.
In May 2014, the B.C. government introduced the province’s Water Sustainability Act, which is set to come into force in 2016. But does the legislation do enough to protect water for communities? Does the act go far enough to ensure the province learns from California’s ongoing drought?
This report explores how the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) delivers some gains and positive steps forward, but falls short of what is needed to truly protect water in B.C.
