The Water Conservation Trust of Canada is the only economically based program working to reward the conservation of water in Alberta and Canada.
The Government does not have all the economic tools for a sustainable solution to the water shortage issue in southern Alberta and is being encouraged to work with entrepreneurial programs such as ours.
In Support of the Water Trust
- As a non-governmental agency, the Trust has more flexibility in securing funding for the pursuit of allocations.
- The Trust has greater flexibility than Government and can react more readily to the social/economic/environmental changes in the Province.
- Through public support, the Trust can work with the government to enforce instream water rights and encourage regulation and policy that promotes water conservation.
- The Trust brings awareness to the issue of water conservation in the province and can educate the public about the benefits of maintain a healthy level of instream flow.
- The Trust can financially reward conservation measures.
- The Trust will provide public recognition for the contributions to community made by water transfers.
Support for an Alberta Water Trust
The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP) that was the culmination of stakeholder working groups with government, made recommendations supporting the establishment of the Trust as follows:
- Section 5.2.9.6: Explore opportunities to develop and apply market mechanisms to support watershed management objectives.
- Section 5.2.9.7: Enhance the development of water allocation transfer mechanisms to facilitate short- and long-term transfers and assignment of water in water-stressed basins.
- Section 5.3.9: To deliver economic benefits and incentives, as well as recognition, to rights owners whose stewardship sustains or restores native ecosystems and particularly, species at risk.
