Edmonton, AB — July 3, 2025 — Alberta’s Environmental Law Centre is recommending that the government include essential provisions for the health of rivers as it contemplates changes to Alberta’s water legislation. The Alberta Government has been consulting on proposed changes to the Water Act with the goal of increasing availability of water for various uses. In seeking to increase water availability in water-scarce regions of the province (primarily the southern river basins, especially the Oldman River Basin and the Bow River Basin), the proposed amendments do not take steps to address key aspects of identifying and protecting environmental flow needs.
“We need to see water availability as a coin with two distinct but intricately linked sides,” says Jason Unger, Executive Director of the Environmental Law Centre, an Alberta-based law reform and legal education charity. “The one side of the coin is getting water to people and to industry, and the other is ensuring there is sufficient water kept in the rivers to meet ecosystem needs.”
The ELC recommends the creation of a specific legislative office of the government and the designation of a Commissioner of water conservation and environmental flows. “The role of the Commissioner would be to ensure that the second side of the water availability coin is taken care of” says Unger, “through monitoring, research, and reporting, and through the development of policies and programs for that focus on water conservation and identifying and protecting instream flows”.
“Alberta’s economy relies heavily on available water and the pressures on the resource are only going to increase”, says Unger. Alberta’s population is forecast to grow to 7.2 million by 2051 with approximately 1.2 million being in the southern region of the province. (source: Government of Alberta: Alberta population projections, 2024-2051 – Alberta and sub-regions – data tables – Open Government)
The office and the Commissioner would take on the role of ensuring the health of our rivers as Alberta’s population and its economy put increasing pressure on aquatic ecosystems.
Media Contact:
Jason Unger
Executive Director, Environmental Law Centre
junger@elc.ab.ca
https://www.elc.ab.ca