The recent federal budget pledged $650 million over 10 years to support monitoring, assessment and restoration work related to fresh water across the country, including the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe. Also on the table was $22.6 million over three years to better support co-ordination of efforts to protect freshwater across Canada.
There was also $85.1 million over five years for the creation of the Canada Water Agency.
The government said it will introduce legislation to fully establish the Canada Water Agency as a standalone entity.
Canada is home to 20 per cent of the world's freshwater supply. Healthy lakes and rivers are essential to Canadians, communities and businesses across the country.
The federal government said in its announcement it recognizes the threat to freshwater caused by climate change and pollution, and in response is establishing the agency and strengthening its Freshwater Action Plan.
Good news? Or just a drop in the bucket?
We know Canada has an unco-ordinated approach to the management of our fresh-water resources, with numerous agencies at various governmental levels playing roles. It is ironic that something so essential as fresh water, and something that can create huge costs in flood damage relief, water quality improvement and so on, has been managed in this rather loose way.
The creation of a federal agency to oversee and encourage effective collaboration in the management of fresh water has been long discussed in Canada, and slowly the Canada Water Agency is coming into existence.
We reached out to a greater mind than ours for analysis.
"The announcement, in the recent federal budget, of the funds needed to create a Canada Water Agency, has to be seen as good news in Muskoka," said Peter Sale, chair of the Muskoka Watershed Council.
"We were reminded in 2019 of the significant flood risks many of us face, and most residents are well aware of the vital economic role played by our clean and healthy waterways. But until we see details of how the Canadian Water Agency will function, it is not possible to judge likely local benefits.
"Still, the Muskoka Watershed Council, in advocating for improved environmental conservation and land use planning, has recognized the need for a far more effectively integrated management process across the region. This improvement is essential if we are to retain our high-quality environment and its sparkling clean waters in the face of growing threats such as rapidly changing climate. As we in Muskoka move forward on more effectively integrated watershed management, the Watershed Council looks forward to the possibility of working effectively with the new CWA."
