Athabasca area water resources are at risk of being taken and sold out of country, according to Arlene Kwasniak, a professor at the University of Calgary Faculties of Law and Environmental Design.
Crooked Creek Conservancy Society of Athabasca (CCCSA) sponsored Water Rights, Water Wrongs, a two-speaker talk on water at Athabasca University last Wednesday that included Kwasniak.
“I compared the water trading rules under the Alberta legislation with that of the Australian legislation, because Australia’s water market is considerably more active than the Alberta water market,” Kwasniak explained. “I looked at what might be some of the consequences if Alberta were to make water trading easier.”
Currently in Alberta, water trading is a long and involved process.
“It is a highly regulated process that can take several months, even years to complete,” she explained. “You can only have a water transfer in Alberta if the cabinet has approved it or if there is an approved water management plan under the Water Act that allows for water transfers.”
Kwasniak explained in some people’s eyes, water is a commodity because it is being traded.
CCCSA chair Rosemary Neaves introduced Kwasniak by saying water needs to be protected.
“We need to treat Mother Earth with respect, rather than (as) a never-ending commodity to be exploited,” Neaves said. “Each of us is a steward of our environment. How we protect our water now will have life-or-death consequences for your children and future generations.”
Kwasniak touched on the environmental concerns attached to water trading during her presentation.
“The (Alberta) government put in the potential 10-per-cent hold-back for conservation purposes to keep water in stream if anyone wanted to transfer their water right,” Kwasniak said. “There was a little something for the environment.”
However, Kwasniak explained the 10 per cent is not enough to help the environment.
For the full article by Bromley Chamberlain in The Athabasca Advocate, click here.