Canadian Drinking Water Policy: Jurisdictional Variation in the Context of Decentralized Water Governance

Dunn, Gemma; Harris, Leila M.; Bakker, Karen

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-42806-2_16

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Therefore, Bereskie et al [56] proposed a framework for water safety called plando-check-act (PDCA)-WSP based on the risk of remote provinces, especially considering small supply systems. However, Dunn et al [57] highlighted the difficulties of applying it across provinces due to the urban-rural disparities that lead to low effectiveness results of analyzing regulations, policies, practices, and institutions with power in drinking water decision making.…”

Section: Branch 2: Drinking Water Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Safety and Water Governance: A Scientometric Review

Aguirre

Paredes

2023

Sustainability

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Water safety and water governance are critical concerns, as water is a vital and finite resource that is essential for ecological processes, human survival, and economic and social development, requiring collaborative and coordinated work of all related actors. The subject literature is scattered and fragmented, making it difficult to identify the key contributions and understand the current state of research; however, these considerations are an increasing preoccupation. To address this issue, a scientometric analysis was conducted in this work to identify the main contributions in the field. The methodology of the research was divided into two sections: the first section presents a scientometric mapping, including an analysis of scientific production by country, journal, and author. The second section identified the main theoretical contributions through the use of the Tree of Science metaphor. The main subfields identified include social governance structures and capacities, drinking water management, and socio-hydrogeology and collaborative governance. This research provides valuable insights for decision makers to develop and promote effective strategies to improve water safety and participatory efforts.

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Section: Branch 2: Drinking Water Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Safety and Water Governance: A Scientometric Review

Aguirre

Paredes

2023

Sustainability

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“…In fact, Dunn et al (2017) noted that this lack of common reporting and data collection is an underlying concern with water governance in Canada overall. Limited data across provincial borders lead to an inability to understand the main drivers behind the waterborne disease and operational and process-related concerns in Canadian water systems, resulting in no clearly defined national trends (Dunn et al, 2017). A common reporting format that is publicly available for consumers to consult is needed to strengthen the DWA as a water safety tool.…”

Section: Current Data Gapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the use and intent of drinking water advisories in Atlantic Canada

Lane

Gagnon

2020

Water Policy

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Drinking water advisories (DWAs) are used as a tool for identifying water safety concerns in many jurisdictions. Evidence from previous research demonstrates a lack of improvement in water system operations over time, with an increase in the total number of DWAs in place. DWAs are predominantly issued due to operational concerns within a water system, implying a lack of proactive management measures for preventable issues. Therefore, DWAs represent a chronic issue for many water systems, particularly those lacking resources to implement operational improvements. This study explores DWA characteristics in Atlantic Canada, including frequency and duration, focusing on municipal and private water systems. Seasonality was identified as a trend in DWA issuance in Nova Scotia, and reasons for DWA issuance are largely unchanged over time. Neither of these identified concerns has led to a change in DWA reporting or issuance procedures. Additionally, this study identifies a lack of a common reporting format, leading to the proposal of a template of minimum characteristics for future DWA reporting. Overall, this study highlights deficiencies in the DWA issuance process as a water safety measure and suggests alternative methods for risk management in water systems to alleviate the persistence and prevalence of DWAs in Canada.

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“…Water governance in Canada is highly fragmented across multiple layers of government departments and agencies [4]. Canada's Constitution Act of 1982 [5] assigns responsibility over water resources to the provinces with each province (10 provinces in total) having separate water governance rules and regulations.…”

Section: Water Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, water resource management in First Nation communities is a federal responsibility. These jurisdictional boundaries result in fragmented governance structures, inconsistent planning and management programs, and a patchwork of drinking water quality regulations and standards [4]. The development of water resources and the expansion of resource extraction activities continue today in many parts of Canada without prior and informed consent from First Nation communities [6].…”

Section: Water Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Reclaiming Indigenous Planning as a Pathway to Local Water Security

Patrick

Grant²,

Bharadwaj

2019

Water

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Access to drinkable water is essential to human life. The consequence of unsafe drinking water can be damaging to communities and catastrophic to human health. Today, one in five First Nation communities in Canada is on a boil water advisory, with some advisories lasting over 10 years. Factors contributing to this problem stretch back to colonial structures and institutional arrangement that reproduce woefully inadequate community drinking water systems. Notwithstanding these challenges, First Nation communities remain diligent, adaptive, and innovative in their efforts to provide drinkable water to their community members. One example is through the practice of source water protection planning. Source water is untreated water from groundwater or surface water that supplies drinking water for human consumption. Source water protection is operationalized through land and water planning activities aimed at reducing the risk of contamination from entering a public drinking water supply. Here, we introduce a source water protection planning process at Muskowekwan First Nation, Treaty 4, Saskatchewan. The planning process followed a community-based participatory approach guided by trust, respect, and reciprocity between community members and university researchers. Community members identified threats to the drinking water source followed by restorative land management actions to reduce those threats. The result of this process produced much more than a planning document but engaged multiple community members in a process of empowerment and self-determination. The process of plan-making produced many unintended results including human-land connectivity, reconnection with the water spirit, as well as the reclaiming of indigenous planning. Source water protection planning may not correct all the current water system inadequacies that exist on many First Nations, but it will empower communities to take action to protect their drinking water sources for future generations as a pathway to local water security.

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Canadian Drinking Water Policy: Jurisdictional Variation in the Context of Decentralized Water Governance

Cited by 9 publications

References 47 publications

Water Safety and Water Governance: A Scientometric Review

Water Safety and Water Governance: A Scientometric Review

Evaluating the use and intent of drinking water advisories in Atlantic Canada

Reclaiming Indigenous Planning as a Pathway to Local Water Security

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