Freshwater Policy

Measures whether each province and territory, as well as the federal government, has a freshwater policy and/or law that is less than ten years old

It’s important to be transparent that this Shared Measurement System was designed from a non-Indigenous worldview and we recognize that Indigenous ways of knowing are absent from it. For more information on this positioning, see our Right Relations page.

Overview

It is important that freshwater policies be kept current, as such policies set out the vision, direction and measures governments use to achieve the targets of SDG 6, the goals of the Water Action Decade, and other freshwater objectives.

This version of the impact measure expands upon a 2019 version by considering not just whether governments have current freshwater policies but also whether they have freshwater laws that are up to date. This expansion of what is considered in the impact measure reflects the fact that it is not just policies that determine a government’s commitment to freshwater sustainability but also the related laws it puts in place.

Status of freshwater policies and laws in Canadian federal/provincial/territorial governments, January 2023

Jurisdiction	Name and date of freshwater policy	Current freshwater policy?	Name and date of freshwater law enactment or last major revision	Current freshwater law?
Canada	Federal water policy, 1987	No	Canada Water Act, 1985	No
British Columbia	Living Water Smart, 2008	No	Water Sustainability Act, 2014	Yes
Alberta	Water for Life: A Renewal, 2008	No	Water Act, 2000	No
Saskatchewan	25 Year Water Security Plan, 2012	No	No specific freshwater law	No
Manitoba	The Manitoba Water Strategy, 2022	Yes	The Water Protection Act, 2005	No
Ontario	No specific freshwater policy	No	Clean Water Act, 2006	No
Quebec	Québec Water Strategy 2018-2030, 2018	Yes	An Act to affirm the collective nature of water resources and to promote better governance of water and associated environments, enacted 2009, amended 2011	No
New Brunswick	A Water Strategy for New Brunswick 2018 – 2028, 2017	Yes	Clean Water Act, 1989	No
Nova Scotia	Water Resources Management Strategy, 2010	No	Water Resources Protection Act, 2000	No
Prince Edward Island	Watershed Strategy, 2015	Yes	Water Act, 1988	No
Newfoundland and Labrador	No specific freshwater policy	No	Water Resources Act, 2002	No
Yukon	Water for Nature, Water for People: Yukon Water Strategy and Action Plan, 2014	Yes	Waters Act, 2003	No
Northwest Territories	Northern Voices, Northern Waters NWT Water Stewardship Strategy, 2010	No	Waters Act, 2014	Yes
Nunavut	No specific freshwater policy	No	Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act, 2002	No

Our full analysis on this impact measure can be found here.

Last updated January 2023

Number of federal and provincial/territorial jurisdictions with a freshwater policy and/or law less than ten years old

7

Percentage of federal and provincial/territorial jurisdictions with a freshwater policy and/or law less than ten years old

Provincial/territorial jurisdictions with a freshwater policy and/or law less than ten years old

Have BOTH a policy AND law less than 10 years old

Have EITHER a policy OR law less than 10 years old

Have NEITHER a policy nor law less than 10 years old

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Note: The data presented here represents our best research given the time and resources at hand. We acknowledge there may be errors. This shared measurement system belongs to all members of the Our Living Water Network, so if you have any corrections for us, or ideas to share on this measure, please send us an email at info@ourlivingwaters.ca.