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Living Waters Rally 2014

October 3-6th, 2014

Gatineau, QC

#LWR14

A Report - 2014Inside...

Report backs on strategic conversations held at #LWR14

...Thumbs up! Our Living Waters kicks off.

...Building the Backbone

...Living with Water

...Revitalizing the Rules

...Assessing the State of Canada’s Freshwater Health

...We ARE Water. Building the water movement

A Deeper Well, a blog post by Danika Billie Littlechild

Living Waters Rally by the Numbers

What you said! Delegate reflections on LWR14

Final Reflections and onwards to LWR16

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Thumbs up!“Our Living Waters” kicks off!

By Jill Ryan and David Minkow

Could we protect and restore the health of all of Canada’s home waters if we, the freshwater community, worked most strategically together towards a common goal?We are now joined by more than 100 champions for Canada’s freshwater in this effort.The hope going into Living Waters Rally 2014 was that we would come out of it with a statement built around the Our Living Waters (OLW) strategy. But it was only hope and not an expectation.The small group of people who had been working on the OLW strategy for almost a year were eager to build on their work, and the Rally represented a key opportunity to debut OLW to the broader freshwater community in Canada. We really had no clear sense as to whether this diverse group--Rally delegates represented recreational, indigenous, cottage association, faith, philanthropic, environmental, business, academic, and arts and culture groups from

across Canada—would embrace the process of working through various strategic dialogues and come to agreement on a vision for moving forward.Quite early on, it appeared that the delegates were keen to be part of the process and supportive of the overall vision of OLW. During the final plenary, Jill Ryan spotted Tony Maas and Lindsay Telfer (two key contributors of the Our Living Waters Framework) hovering by a pillar in the back corner of the room. She realized that, as facilitator of the session, she needed to have an authentic test of support for the framework goal, so she asked them to leave the room. MECs Andrew Steggeman took this a step furthered and volunteered the remaining 9 members of the Our Living Waters working group, out of the room. Once departed, Jill asked the remaining 90+ delegates if they supported the framework goal: All waters in Canada in good health. Consensus was achieved.

While the proof will come in the pudding, this overwhelming coming together feels like a watershed moment for Canada’s lakes, rivers and streams. Building a movement is a core part of the OLW strategy and engaging so many of Canada’s freshwater champions represents the stirrings of a powerful movement. Another indication that Rally delegates were taking ownership of the OLW strategy came during the final activity, to finalize the wording of the statement that had been drafted and revised throughout the weekend. Delegates contributed some helpful wordsmithing as well as key suggestions, including the insertion of a paragraph highlighting the values and engagement of indigenous peoples, and there were no concerns expressed about the overall message of the statement. Rather, many delegates indicated an interest in signing on to the statement. Ultimately, it was decided that because not every Rally delegate had the authority to officially endorse the statement, it would be released by the Canadian Freshwater Alliance at the Rally press conference the next day, with individual organizations having the option to send it out with their own letterhead. Many groups across the country did so using traditional and online media, others formally endorsed the statement at the Rally itself. The final line of the statement reads: “We will build and strengthen the water movement to ensure that all our waters are in good health—swimmable, drinkable and fishable.” Thankfully, we now have a collective intention and the start of a shared strategy to make it happen.

Groups sharing or endorsing the declaration include:

• Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation• Canadian Canoe Foundation (endorsed)• Center for Indigenous Environmental

Resources (endorsed)• Conservation Council of New Brunswick

(endorsed)• Centre for Sustainable Watersheds

(endorsed)• Clean Foundation• Grand Riverkeeper Labrador (endorsed)• Great Lakes/Our Water (endorsed)• Great Lakes Commons (endorsed)• Ecology Action Centre (endorsed)• Ecology Ottawa (endorsed)• Earth Day Canada • Federation of Ontario Cottagers’

Associations (endorsed)• Peditcodiac Watershed Alliance in New

Brunswick. (endorsed)• Lake Winnipeg Foundation• Living Lakes Canada (endorsed)• Mi’kma’ki All Points Services• Mountain Equipment Co-op (endorsed)• Save the River (endorsed)• Shawnigan Basin Society (endorsed)• Tides Canada• University of Victoria’s POLIS Project on

Ecological Governance• Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper/Save the

River (endorsed)• Wellington Water Watchers (endorsed)• Water Gratitude Society (endorsed) 3

Building the Backbone

Our Living Waters is a big idea; a long-term play. Such collective im-pact initiatives-- like everything else we do--take time, energy and mon-ey. Funding is limited, and people and organizations are already busy. So, while there is a clear need and desire within the water community to work toward collective impact, at-tempts to network and collaborate are among the first things to be sac-rificed when capacity is constrained. Having an efficient, focused and re-sponsive “backbone infrastructure” will therefore be critical to sustaining Our Liv-ing Waters.The core functions of backbone infrastruc-ture are to convene and coordinate, to build and sustain alignment under a common agen-da, to facilitate ongoing communication and di-alogue, and to measure and report on progress

of collective activities. In addition to this core infrastruc-ture support, backbone organiza-tions support the achievement of specific shared outcomes, many of which have been identified through-

out this report. Some of the priority outcomes that we see emerging are:• Test innovative tools and tac-

tics for creating and advancing a common water narrative with organizations across the coun-try.

• Guide a process of identifying shared outcomes and measures within the Our Living Waters strategic framework.

• Design a governance structure and process for engagement of

supporting organizations.• Identify new fund-ing resources to support the overarching objectives of the Our Living Waters strat-egy.• Ensure that the people and platforms are in place to facilitate in-per-son and virtual meetings, shared measurement and ongoing communications.

Tony Maas & Lindsay Telfer

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We have money problems, and grassroots water organizations alone cannot solve them. Our money problems can be boiled down to two issues. First, we haven’t spent enough money on the right types of projects in the past, and Canada now faces an $88-billion water and wastewater infrastructure deficit. Second, economic signals that influence individual, business, and government behaviours often discourage environmentally responsible behaviour. Stories told at the Living Waters Rally help to illustrate the impact these problems are having on Canadians. Elder Nancy Scanie of Cold Lake First Nation in Alberta talked about the pollution that has transformed the lake in her remote community over the course of her lifetime. Living in one of the most naturally rich regions on earth, she cannot drink the water. She cannot eat the fish. Traditional hunting, trapping, and foraging activities are in jeopardy.Other participants described disproportionate development projects, where citizens may be asked to sacrifice their quality of life, so that others can find a job, secure a contract, or sell products to outsiders. There is a deeply-felt concern that some people get rich, while others grow poor. In the process, each successive generation inherits ever-more compromised ecosystems to support their lives, communities, and economies. Grassroots water organizations are especially good at helping decision-makers identify the environmental costs of spending and policy

decisions. They have a closer connection to the air, land, and water in their communities than many decision-makers and they represent more diverse uses. For this reason alone, grassroots voices are important in any legitimate decision-making process.The connection between economic issues and the other Our Living Waters themes is strong. Policy and legislation influence create economic signals, for example. The values and narrative articulated by the movement influence and are influenced by economic decisions. As Christopher Ragan of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission says, the primary obstacle to a fairer, more productive, greener economy is the mindset that Canadians cannot have both a healthy environment and a strong economy.It is the proverbial “chicken-and-egg” question: which comes first, a greener economy or the other

Where to from here for ‘living with water’?A number of ideas came out of the Living Waters Rally. Here is a sampling of some key recommendations:

Get more voices to the table. Grassroots groups have an important role to play, but they cannot move the needle alone. There are a number of economically-oriented organizations cropping up and they should be invited to connect with the grassroots (e.g., Blue Economy Initiative, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, Clean Prosperity, Sustainable Prosperity to name a few).

Leave room for debate. There is a range of theories about which economic signals are most powerful and which approaches are the most effective. The conversation needs to include voices representing a variety of positions on the spectrum.

Learn to integrate economic language and principles into environmental protection arguments. We need to challenge the notion that environmental protection stands in the way of economic growth, both with facts and language. Environmentalists speak

for the economy, too.

winning conditions? Would more sustainable economic signals motivate more effective policy? Or do we need effective policy in place to trigger sustainable economic decisions? The answer is probably a messy, “both.” The water movement needs to work on economic conditions while it works on political, legal, and social conditions. Financial costs are tangible and immediate and they are born by the people making decisions about what to build, what to fund, and what to charge. Often, ecological costs are not. As a result, it seems easier to close a beach than it is to fix a leaking sewage system. It seems cheaper to ask First Nations communities to buy bottled water than it is to remediate a polluted drinking water supply. It is possible to grow fish in pens in the ocean when native fish populations are exhausted. Until it seems easier to conserve resources for future prosperity, we have work to do.

Living with Waterby Krystyn Tully

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Revitalizing the Rules

Reaching a big, hairy, audacious goal of all waters in Canada in good health is going to require a rethink of law, policy and governments as we continue to confront the real-ities of the 21st century. This was the common starting point for the crowd of 25 or so who gathered to discuss the challenge and opportu-nity of revitalizing of the rules gov-erning our relationship with water. Delegates shared concerns about the shift in public policy priorities from protection and restoration to deregulation; the implementation gap that pervades Canadian envi-ronmental policy; and the big holes left in our national water policy framework in the wake of reforms to the Fisheries Act and the Naviga-ble Waters Protection Act. The discussion quickly turned from this concerning state of affairs to promising “blue shoots” of progress provincially and in our northern

territories. Many regions are in-troducing and attempting to im-plement new water strategies and some, such as British Columbia and Ontario, have updated and added new water laws. Yet there was clear sense among the group that revitalizing the rules to reach our big, hairy, audacious goal cannot happen in a piecemeal fashion – something more holistic and transformative is needed. Four key ideas stood out in the discus-sions:• Law and policy must be un-

derpinned by a principle that water is fundamental to all life on earth.

• The need for integration across scales.

• Commitment by governments to enforce legislation and im-plement policy.

• Accountability and agenda

By Oliver Brandes and Tony Maas

setting are two crucial roles for NGOs.

Much of this work is already under-way. The Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) is drafting “Making the Federation Work for Water,” a blueprint of actions and priorities to address the core deficits in current water law and policy. FLOW’s work will provide a solid foundation for the Rally delegates who signed up to help move from high-level thinking to specifics and action plans through the Our Living Waters working group on Revitalizing the Rules. Canada’s water community is facing a unique opportunity. Public opin-ion research shows that it is NGOs, stewardship groups and civil society organizations that people most trust when it comes to safeguarding our waters. We need to build on what we started at the Living Waters Ral-ly, exerting our collective influence to ensure that the rules are put in place--and remain in place--to pro-tect and restore our home waters from coast to coast to coast.

1. Law and policy must be under-pinned by a principle that water is fundamental to all life on earth. Freshwater is not simply a natural resource to be managed and manipulated—rivers, lakes and wetlands have value in and of themselves. The case of the Whanganui River in New Zealand was raised as a prime example of putting this principle into practice. There, the Maori people forged a groundbreaking agreement with the crown to recognize the river itself as a “legal person” and to appoint guardians tasked with rep-resenting the interests of the river in all development decisions.

2. The need for integration across scales. The idea of a one-size-fits-

all national policy vs. more down-scaled and nested frameworks was a big part of the dialogue; agreement emerged that we need to learn how to effectively do both. A robust set of rules based on clear principles of good governance would enable and empower local decisions and provide a backstop of higher-level minimum standards for ecological and human health.

3. Commitment by governments to enforce legislation and implement policy. Writing good rules is neces-sary, but is certainly not sufficient. Time-bound commitments, clear plans and resources for implemen-tation, monitoring of progress and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances are critical to effective

Opportunities and priorities to revitalize the rulesenforcement and implementation of the rules. As one delegate noted, “Policy needs to be underpinned by an ethos of achievement, not just compliance.”

4. Accountability and agenda setting are two crucial roles for NGOs. As independent advocates for Canada’s waters, NGOs can play a major role in holding governments accountable for their actions and drawing atten-tion to areas of inaction. Clearly laying out our expectations and outcomes (e.g., monitoring, reporting) and building public support around them is essential to advancing the policy agenda.

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Water monitoring is essential to understanding the overall health of rivers, lakes and wetlands. The ultimate responsibility for collection and reporting of robust information on the state of freshwater health rests with governments. However, the day-to-day activities of collecting samples and information and managing data is increasingly falling to local community and citizen groups. This engagement and leadership by communities is promising, but ensuring we have robust, widespread and long-term assessments of the health of our waters, these local groups need to be adequately supported with the money, tools and training to do the work. And governments, which are ultimately accountable not only for monitoring of water, but for ensuring it is safe and healthy for all species, must always be a central player.Another side effect of distributing freshwater monitoring and data collection responsibilities among local groups is the uncertainty around of consistent standards and protocols across regions. Citizen-based water monitoring (CBM) protocols need to be scientifically robust, accredited and consistent so that results can be comparable from region to region and province to province. Water stewardship groups that are currently engaged in, or interested in, citizen science and water monitoring identify a number of challenges when it comes to meaningful application of their research and monitoring programs, specifically:• Mechanisms for housing data

and in a standardized way;• Access to and sharing of

data collected by consulting companies, other NGOs or governments;

• Integrating data into an assessment framework that translates the information into forms that can easily and consistently be communicated to decision makers and the public; and

• Protocols from different regions that can work together to show a holistic, national picture of freshwater health.

To allow for the best access to information for freshwater decision-making and public awareness, all data collectors (government, industry, academic or citizen-group) should house data sets in an accessible, transparent manner that allows for integration and analysis in a succinct comprehensible way. Vertical integration of data (local to provincial to national) is also critical for efficacy and appropriate use for relevant decision-makers.

Next steps for freshwater health assessmentSpecific next steps for assessing the health of Canada’s fresh waters include:• Establishing regional networks to share community-based monitoring

information;• Completing a mapping project that would list and show monitoring and

assessment projects and protocols; and• Hosting a national conversation on strategies to share community-based

monitoring information; overcome challenges related to translating information for decision-makers and the public; and showcase and learn from successful examples of CBM.

note: for these steps to be most successful, they have to include a broader community than the citizen-based non-profit community. Inclusion of industry, government and academia would make for the most robust system for data sharing.

This kind of open, shared, and co-owned, data set could also guard against the threat of data obsolescence and loss of data as companies move on or government programs or agencies sunset.The challenge of data ownership is often central to concerns with data integration. Who actually owns the data? And, how is it best shared? Most data sets are not accessible to the “general public” and need a degree of interpretation to be easily understood. TEK (traditional ecological knowledge), furthermore, is difficult to share because it is not intended for general public consumption, yet is necessary for the integration of indigenous cultural values in decision making. While community groups continue to step up in support of their local watersheds, governments must still be held responsible, accountable and must play a role in coordinating and ensuring the quality of community-based monitoring efforts.

Assessing the State of Canada’s Freshwater HealthBy Elizabeth Hendriks and Kat Hartwig

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We Are Water: Building the water movement

We agree. We are all working to-wards a goal that all of Canada’s wa-ters will one day be in good health. It is something that we can all unite around. Who wouldn’t want waters in good health, after all? Having a common narrative that links our collective work for fresh-water health will enable us to build a movement that is speaking a common language and invite our communities to join together towards collective action to achieve that goal. It takes the communi-ty-by-community approach and connects it to a nationwide move-ment that can harness the number of supporters and attention to ensure that appropriate protections and decisions are made. Such a narrative would link “every-day” Canadians to the pursuit of freshwater health. It would speak a language that would engage beyond simple environmental messaging, making it relevant to the health, business and cultural communities. At the same time, it would harness a strong value that residents in Cana-da have with their home waters. It would place freshwater as central to the Canadian identity.But what really does having a com-mon narrative mean: what would

having it look like, and how would we integrate it into our existing freshwater work on the ground?Some excellent ideas on this emerged in our discussions at LWR14. Some specific ideas include:• Creation of common freshwater

communication materials that: identify core audiences; create messaging recommendations that are ideal for these priority audiences; and detail strategies and recommendations for intro-ductory and deepening engage-ment. Central to this initiative would be the development of a common rallying call (such as “swimmable, fishable, drink-able” waters) and adaptable materials that would align with other Our Living Waters priori-ties at a national/local/regional scale and when combined with local facts and truths would cre-

By Lindsay Telfer and David Minkow

ate the basis for powerful fresh-water engagement materials.

• The establishment of a power translation group that can take complex scientific data on fresh-water and convert to under-standable messages that spark engagement by communities.

• Continue to build organizational capacity to strengthen engage-ment activities.

Building the water movement has a benefit of getting people--our neighbours, friends, colleagues, family--excited about having clean water and committed to the notion that everyone should have clean wa-ter. It’s a starting point, from which people can be rallied when and where clean water is threatened. This narrative needs to connect across sectors drawing in relevance to the business, health and justice communities. If successful, it might just: act as a catalyst for bridging divides across these sectors; see wa-ter become central to the Canadian identity; and, at its very core, drive increased engagement of the Cana-dian “public” in freshwater issues, campaigns and activities across the country.

Creation of common freshwater com-munication materials that: identify core audiences; create messaging recom-mendations that are ideal for these priority audiences; and detail strategies and recommendations for introductory and deepening engagement. Central to this initiative would be the develop-

ment of a common rallying call (such as “swimmable, fishable, drinkable” waters) and adaptable materials that would align with other Our Living Waters priorities at a national/local/regional scale and when combined with local facts and truths would create the basis for powerful fresh-water engagement materials.

A common narrative.

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The Living Waters Rally 2014 provided a unique and valuable opportunity for indigenous and non-indigenous peoples to engage together on common issues and learn from various experiences, accomplishments and setbacks in water advocacy efforts. What I appreciated most about the framing of LWR2014 is how much space and place was provided for indigenous spiritual and sacred conceptions and understandings of water to be properly expressed and respected. It was fantastic to be gathered as a collective on the shores of an im-portant body of water located near our conference site.

First Nations experiences with wa-ter range from local concerns such as lack of access to potable water in homes, schools and other on re-serve structures, to broader collec-tive concerns such as impediments to hunting and fishing. First Nations also face a legislative quagmire of rights, responsibilities and liabil-ities related to water under other Canadian laws, including the recent enactment of the federal Safe Drink-ing Water for First Nations Act. An important reminder from our panel is that we cannot limit our analysis and understanding to Canadian laws about First Nations peoples--we must also consider that many First Nations have their own legal traditions, customs, practices and

legal orders containing other kinds of indigenous rights and obligations vis-à-vis water. This includes con-ceptualizing water as a living entity.

What is generally more of a chal-lenge for Canadians is being informed about and/or under-standing constitutionally protected aboriginal and treaty rights. How do they work with federal, pro-vincial and local laws, regulations and standards? After all, First Nations have rights to maintain and strengthen their relationships with traditionally occupied lands and waters pursuant to treaties, aborigi-nal title and aboriginal rights.

The second panel I participated in (on Oct 5, 2014) focused on precise-ly that topic. Merrell-Ann Phare and I co-participated in a dialogue with LWR2014 participants about the new constitutional landscape. As demonstrated by recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada, appropriate engagement of indige-nous peoples is vital to ensure the good health of our waters.

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) issued two judgments in the sum-mer of 2014: Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia (2014 SCC 44) on aboriginal title and Grassy Nar-rows First Nation v. Ontario (Nat-ural Resources) (2014 SCC 48) on

treaties. The SCC described a “new script” for the dialogue between First Nations and Canadians. These SCC decisions may allow us to take a collective quantum leap beyond structural obstacles to healthy water.

Tsilhqot’in firmly establishes that the doctrine of terra nullius does not apply in Canada, that aboriginal rights are a limit on both federal and provincial jurisdiction, and affirmed the territorial nature and expansive content of aboriginal title. The decision emphasizes the need to collectively shift to a dia-logue focused on reconciliation. Our panel discussion touched upon the functional aspects of aboriginal title, which must necessarily include water.

The Grassy Narrows decision con-firmed that a province has all the constitutional obligations of the Crown, is bound by and must re-spect treaty and fulfill treaty prom-ises in accordance with indigenous interests in treaty lands. First Na-tions treaty rights also have a func-tional aspect that require healthy waters and a healthy environment.

These SCC decisions--read together with other laws and policies--create a new dynamic in water steward-ship, governance and management in across Canada. Reconciliation in Canada is possible. The Living Waters Rally 2014 represented tan-gible action toward reconciliation between and amongst indigenous peoples and other Canadians with regard to water. It is time to lift each other up! I have great hopes for the future and I was honoured to partic-ipate. Hai Hai (Thank you)!

Danika Billie Littlechild is a lawyer work-ing in Maskwacis, Alberta. Danika is from Ermineskin Cree Nation and is dedicated to working with indigenous peoples on issues of rights, treaty, water and environment.

A Deeper Well (an excerpt)

By Danika Billie Littlechild

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What You Said?Delegate reflections on LWR14

Diversity of attendee’s

I was really impressed with the diversity of attendees geographically and across some interest areas (which I hope we can continue to build on). I thought the prep work done in advance was really

well done and thought out, which allowed us to accomplish a lot and move to the next step. I hope

everyone will get on board.

Refreshed“Congratulations on a wildly successful rally--it was a productive, inspiring and motivating

weekend. Can’t wait for 2016!”

Grateful recipientI am so grateful for the bursary that I received.

Missing delegates

We were missing the Resource Industry/Agri-business perspective from the Rally. Working with these sectors, is our reality. It would of been nice to see an

example of at least one organization that was leading the way in terms of envi-ronmental sustainability, consultation with First Nations, etc. Does one exist?

Great job!

Great Job Freshwater Alliance! I truly enjoyed my experience at the LWR 2014. Thank you to the Funders, RBC, Tides Canada, MEC, and Patagonia for bringing

all these great minds together to do important environmental water work!

More flexible schedule.

It would be great to have more free time or flexibility in the schedule. I know there is a lot of information to get in and lots of different sessions but it’s tough

to sit in the convention centre all day. It was great to go off site for the RBC evening/dinner. More organized field trips would be fun too. There were some

surprise costs with cabs that we weren’t ready for! Overall, it was fun, informa-tive and a great group of people!—Lis adigna feu faccumm

Highlight of my year!

The Living Waters Rally was a chance to re-energize and meet with colleagues who are passionate about water. It was one of the highlights of my year in the

water world!

Reaching out to Quebec

I think it was a super Rally. I think to make sure Quebec is well represented to the Rally some partnerships should be made with the principal stakeholders of

Quebec.

More dialogue needed

I felt that there was a lot of time spent listening to usual suspects at the front of the room and not enough time spent in dialogue after those sessions.

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LWR16 Sept.29th - Oct.1st, 2016

Vancouver, BC

Final Reflections...Raj Gill & Lindsay Telfer

Watching the ripples of energy in the aftermath of Living Waters Rally 2014 has been inspiring! The Rally is meant to be more than just a conference. It is a convergence of a diverse fresh-water community around a common passion, to both celebrate our accom-plishments as well as put our minds together to tackle the challenges ahead.

From the opening ceremo-nies on Victoria Island to the Our Living Waters conver-sations and final plenary, from the moving personal experiences and learnings shared during the Failures Panel to the conversations and silliness that went on far too late into the wee hours, there were so many moments where you could feel the magic happening. Times where views and feelings were shared and received in a generous and thoughtful spirit, not because we were all coming from the same place or perspective, but because we valued the individuals and recognized how much stronger our collective efforts and voices can be.

But it doesn’t end here for us. Some-thing started at the Rally and we have every intent on ensuring the conversa-

tion doesn’t simply stall out.

Despite the tremendous feedback we have received on LWR14, we know that there are areas for improvement. Although the strategic dialogues and the introduction of the Our Living Waters Strategic Framework went over very well, rollout wasn’t perfect. We know that you could have used the documents earlier; we know that

the strategic dialogues themselves had lofty goals and so therefore often lofty conversations; and we know that some of you were unsure where the conversations were going or what we wanted to get out of them We will endeavour to drive more transparen-cy on this process moving forward, especially given the strong interest the conversations (and opportunities) generated!

At the conclusion of the inaugural

Living Waters Rally 2012 , the Alliance contemplated our failure to truly inte-grate First Nations content and partic-ipation in a meaningful way. Though there is still much more to be done, progress in 2014 was visibly made.

But building an Alliance that is repre-sentative of our communities across the country means that we need to develop stronger relations with our colleagues in Quebec, and in French-speaking communities across Canada. We had a goal of making the 2014 Living Waters Rally a bilingual

event, and at this we failed. Deeper relations need to be developed, bilingual capacity needs to be deep-ened and understanding of unique realities in Quebec needs to be furthered. Not just something to strive for, but something we must succeed in doing.

Looking forward to the 2016 Living Waters Rally, we see not only the tangible goals and im-provements that we can make, but also the challenge of sustaining the momentum we gained at LWR14 by continuing to grow and strengthen the freshwater community beyond our own individual organizations towards a much bigger collective vision.

Let the journey begin to LWR16. Mark your calendars, Sept. 29th-Oct. 1st, 2016, Vancouver BC!

LWR14 Statement Canada’s waters are suffering. Lakes are choked by algae blooms. Rivers are overflowing their banks, with others dangerously close to drying up. Drinking water supplies are compromised. Struggling fish popula-tions are often unfit for consumption.

Healthy, living waters are essential to the health and prosperity of our communities and the survival of all species. We are blessed in Canada to still have some of the world’s most pristine waters and thus a global obligation to protect them and to restore those waters that are suffering—before it’s too late.

This past weekend, 110 delegates of Living Waters Rally 2014—representing recreational, indigenous, cot-tage association, faith, philanthropic, environmental, business, academic, and arts and culture groups from across Canada—came together to discuss the future of Canada’s freshwaters.

The people of Canada deserve to know the health of their home waters and that many are increasingly at risk and need to be able to know which ones are healthy. We need regular, independent public assessment of and reporting on the health of our waters.

Protecting and restoring the health of our waters will require leadership. Canada needs a legal and policy framework that sets a high standard of accountability and transparency.

Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, live in harmony with nature and place a spiritual and sacred val-ue on water and have rights to maintain and strengthen their relationships with traditionally occupied lands and waters pursuant to treaties, aboriginal title and aboriginal rights. Hence, indigenous peoples engage in the movement to protect our waters.

We invite many more people and organizations to be engaged in the protection and restoration of Canada’s freshwater. We will build and strengthen the water movement to ensure that all our waters are in good health—swimmable, drinkable and fishable.

To add you name to endorsing organizations email us at info@freshwateralliance.ca12