British Columbia has endured another extreme drought with damaging impacts seen across the province: a watershed emergency declared by the Syilx Okanagan Nation, 70 per cent water use reductions for agricultural producers in Vernon, regulatory orders to protect salmon and explosive wildfires driven by severe drought conditions.

Playing out year over year, the chaotic cycle of drought crises has become a familiar experience for British Columbians. We argue it’s the result of provincial water management that continues to treat drought as a short-term seasonal emergency rather than the year-round, persistent problem it has become.

A recent report by our team and collaborators at the University of Victoria’s POLIS Water Sustainability Project examined B.C.’s drought past, present and future. We provide insights about how drought is changing, gaps in provincial government drought response and the reforms needed to build a more drought-resilient future.

B.C. continues to set new records for drought severity, extent and duration. In 2023, severe drought hit approximately 85 per cent of the province. And, increasingly, droughts arrive in spring and persist into winter, creating continuous, multi-year droughts.

Recent droughts have resulted in........

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