POLIS Water Act Modernization Submission on Province’s “Legislative Proposal for B.C.’s Water Sustainability Act”

On October 18th, 2013, the B.C. provincial government released its legislative proposal for a new Water Sustainability Act for the province. This is part of the Province’s Water Act modernization (WAM) process—a process that has been going on since 2008. In response, the WSP prepared a formal feedback submission to the provincial government. It specifically identifies areas that require additional refinement and must be addressed in the final phase of legislative drafting. Two appendices offer 1) a detailed analysis of the proposed legislation, with specific recommendations, and 2) detailed examples of the public trust doctrine as codified in legislation in other jurisdictions.