Water Policy Session at Midwestern Legislative Conference
The goal of this speech, given at the water policy roundtable during the Midwestern Legislators Conference in Toronto, was to provide an overview of Canada-U.S. water management to initiate discussion between participants. First, it describes how water management has been influenced by various trends over the past century, from resource development prior to 1965 to ecosystem management between about 1965-1990, to now being rooted in global trends such as climate change, energy price shocks and environmental health issues. Next, the speech compares water policies across the border, specifically related to management of bulk water exports, pollution control and water use. The final section discusses some of these policies as they relate to transboundary issues in the Midwestern region: Great Lakes, Lake of the Woods / Rainy River, Red River Valley Supply Project – Northwest Area Water Supply Project, Devil’s Lake and Lake Winnipeg.
