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COMMENTARY: Good water management vital to communities, ecosystems and industries

Prince Edward Island’s Water Act is a good example of government policy that has been driven largely by the community. When in 2014 the P.E.I. government was being pressured into lifting the moratorium on high-capacity wells, a coalition of environmental, farm, social justice and community organizations came together to call for the moratorium to stay in place. At the same time, they saw the need for broader protections and started to press for the creation of a provincial water act.

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The process that followed is often cited as an excellent model of public participation. People were able to contribute in many ways — by phone or email, by completing a survey, by sending a written submission or by making a presentation or taking part in the discussion at a public meeting. As a result, the act better reflects the concerns of Islanders, and while the final product didn’t include everything people asked for, it is stronger for having taken into consideration the local knowledge, wisdom and perspectives of so many.

But in the end, it’s how policies are implemented, monitored and enforced that determines how well they achieve what they are meant to. As Boyd........

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