Canada will not escape the impacts of the global water crisis. Already the same kinds of water supply and quality issues that have appeared in the United States and elsewhere on our crowded planet are beginning to present themselves here. Unfortunately, this is occurring at a time when, as a result of declining global food production, the world is beginning to rely more heavily than ever on Canada to help meet increasingly unattainable food production goals.

Instead of waiting for a water crisis of our own, Canadians may well wish to put lessons learned elsewhere in the world into active relief. By using the example of others to put our own water management house in order, Canada can avoid the same kinds of problems other countries are facing with respect to the protection of water resources. At the same time it can employ enlightened attitudes towards the management of water resources to advance Canada’s own ecological and economic sustainability goals.

Citing examples from all over the world, Restoring the Flow explores how that might be done.

First Nations are facing significant water crises. Their lack of access to safe drinking water is well known, and yet progress is painfully slow. They have been excluded from many important decisions, as provinces operate under the view that they own the water resources within provincial boundaries, and the federal government takes a hands-off approach. Over the last 30 years, the courts have clarified First Nations rights to land and resources, including the right to be involved in decisionmaking.

This book is a call to respect First Nations water rights, and through this create a new water ethic in Canada and beyond.