Governance for source water protection in Canada : Gouvernance pour la protection des sources d'eau au Canada : rapport de synthèse

Contemporary water governance in Canada is characterised by a growing emphasis on the use of markets and other economic instruments, and on the creation of partnerships, multi-stakeholder councils and forms of shared and collaborative governance. [...] Key challenges for source water protection governance in Canada identified through the surveys and from discussions at the workshop related to the following themes: Delegation of authority and responsibility; Collaborative approaches to water governance; Rights and roles of First Nations; Watershed-scale governance; and iv Leadership and the need for an overarching framework. [...] A commonly cited definition from the Global Water Partnership defines water governance as “the range of political, social, economic and administrative systems that are in place to develop and manage water resources, and the delivery of water services, at different levels of society”2. [...] Of particular concern in the context of governance are the ways in which decisions are made, the people and organizations who are involved in making those decisions, and the roles they play. [...] However, there is a new and growing emphasis on the use of markets and other economic instruments, and on the creation of partnerships, multi-stakeholder councils and forms of shared and collaborative governance.