The Government of Alberta has announced a province-wide “Water Conversation” to ask Albertans for feedback on the future of water in the province, including proposed changes to Alberta’s water allocation system.

This all started back in the fall of 2008, when the government announced it was considering updating the province’s Water Act. The government would release three reports in the fall of 2009 that indicated they were considering moving toward a provincial water market.

Rejecting the government’s direction, Our Water Is Not For Sale formed in the summer of 2010. The OWINFS network has pushed the government of Alberta to “conduct broad and meaningful consultations” prior to making changes to how water in the province is allocated.

With the announcement of the provincial Water Conversation, we are pleased to see that the public is finally being asked about the future of our water. Unfortunately, from what we have seen of the Water Conversation Guide and online workbook, this is not a process that we could call either broad or meaningful.

Alberta’s water is a precious resources. Albertans deserve a meaningful process to guide water allocation and water policy in our province.