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POLIS WSP Featured in Water's Next 2012!
January 2012
The WSP is honoured to be a featured project in Water’s Next 2012. Water’s Next is an annual publication of Water Canada magazine that highlights significant contributions to Canada’s waterscape. Click here for more.
Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context—What's the Goal?
January 2012
application/pdf iconRainwater Management in a Watershed Context Article
Following on the heels of POLIS' release of “Peeling Back the Pavement: A Blueprint for Reinventing Rainwater Management,” the November/December 2011 issue of Stormwater features the article “Rainwater Management in a Watershed Context.” Click for more information.
Webinar—Wave of the Future: Water Policy in Western Canada
December 2011
application/pdf iconPromotional Poster Webinar #3
application/pdf iconWave of the Future Report
application/pdf iconSetting a New Course Report
application/pdf iconThe Public Trust and a Modern BC Water Act Legal Brief
application/pdf iconPolicy Proposal on British Columbia's New Water Sustainability Act
On January 19th POLIS is hosting the third webinar in this year's Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series, "Wave of the Future: Water Policy in Western Canada." Click for more information.
Applying water soft path analysis in an agricultural region of Canada—Water International Article
November 2011
A new article about the water soft path, co-authored by Sheila Forsyth and POLIS' David B. Brooks was recently published in Water International.
Oliver M. Brandes Joins Brock Environmental Sustainability Research Unit
November 2011
WSP lead Oliver M. Brandes was recently appointed an affiliate member of the Brock Envrionmental Sustainabilty Research Unit (BESRU) at Brock University.
National Discussion Series "Securing Our Water Future" in Victoria
November 2011
POLIS and the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University are hosting the Victoria, B.C. stop of the cross-country water policy discussion series, “Securing Our Water Future” with Bob Sandford.
Webinar—Peeling Back the Pavement: Reinventing Rainwater Management in Canada's Communities
October 2011
application/pdf iconPromotional Poster Webinar #2
application/pdf iconAdditional Reading: Barraclough & Hegg. (2008). Nature's Revenue Streams: Five Ecological Value Case Studies
application/pdf iconAdditional Reading: Lucey, P. New Revenue Streams and GHG Reduction Through Bold, Integrated Water and Energy Recovery
On October 26th POLIS is hosting the second webinar in this year's Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series, "Peeling Back the Pavement: Reinventing Rainwater Management in Canada's Communities." Click for more information.
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Project Objectives

  • » Examine emerging national water issues, including a survey of best practices in soft path and demand-side management in Canada and abroad;
  • » Develop innovative governance options that embed sustainable water management in all levels of government, including "watershed governance" as an alternative to current centralized, hierarchical and sectoral governance approaches;
  • » Advance water law reforms and policy decision-making tools that promote sustainable water management, long-term integrative planning, and institutional change that enables ecologically based water allocations;
  • » Create a national network of experts and others interested in the new paradigm of sustainable water management to contribute to and use these models as practical tools for policy and institutional change;
  • » Increase public awareness around the importance, and limits, of water in Canada, thereby ensuring that WSP objectives are met as part of a larger cultural change.

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About the Project

The Water Sustainability Project (WSP) began in 2003 at the University of Victoria's POLIS Project on Ecological Governance in British Columbia, Canada.

The WSP recognizes that water scarcity is largely a social dilemma that cannot be solved by technical innovations alone. Instead this crisis of governance must be addressed through new integrated approaches to water management and decision-making that embeds the notion of ecological sustainability in government, business and industry, and civil society.

By focusing on fundamental governance issues such as long-term comprehensive watershed based planning, decision making, innovative institutional and ecosystem-based legal reforms, the WSP seeks to establish a new water paradigm based on conservation, stewardship and sustainability. To address this challenge the project is divided into three core research themes crucial to a sustainable water future:

As a critical aspect of this initiative the WSP continues to develop innovative legal, institutional and practical approaches that embody the principles of ecological governance. Our work provides the foundation for a comprehensive legal and policy framework for sustainable water management and is complemented by detailed action plans for federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada.

WSP Newsletter

Subscribe to the WSP Newsletter to stay informed about water issues and WSP initiatives. You can also check out past issues.

The Water Sustainability Project would like to thank our main sponsors for their generous support:

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