The Minister of Environment and Climate Change’s Mandate Letter of December 2019 and the supplementary Mandate Letter of January 2021 directs the Minister to work with the support of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Special Representative for the Prairies to create a new Canada Water Agency (CWA). The new Agency will work together with the provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, local authorities, scientists and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well-managed. In addition, there is a mandate letter commitment to develop further protections and take active steps to clean up the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Lake Simcoe and other large lakes.
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The mandate, role and objectives of the CWA have not yet been defined and have been the subject of engagement with Indigenous peoples, provincial and territorial governments, stakeholders, and the public.
On December 17, 2020, the Government of Canada released a Discussion Paper to support more comprehensive engagement. The public comment period on the discussion paper closed on March 1, 2021.
Feedback received on the development of the CWA will inform decisions on mandate and roles for the CWA. A “What We Heard Report” based on the public input will be published in spring 2021.
Dedicated Indigenous engagement on the CWA will continue throughout 2021.
A timeline for creation of the CWA has not been determined. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of freshwater management and is interested in creating the Agency as early as possible; however, the Government also recognizes that sufficient time is required for engagement to inform the development of the Agency.
Background/current status
The Minister of Environment Climate Change is working with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Special Representative for the Prairies to create a new CWA in collaboration with provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, local authorities, scientists, and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well managed.
Parliamentary Secretary Terry Duguid has been asked to lead on advancing the establishment of the CWA.
Bilateral discussions at the officials’ level have been held with all provinces/territories to keep them informed of the CWA engagement process and solicit their feedback on the Discussion Paper.
The Government of Canada received feedback on the Discussion Paper from 11 provinces and territories as of April 9, 2021 (AB, BC, MB, NB, NS, NWT, ON, PEI, QC, SK & YU).
The federal government has established a separate, dedicated process to engage directly with First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
In 2020 ECCC reached out to National Indigenous Representatives, Modern Treaty partners, and self-governing Indigenous governments to discuss engagement on the creation of the CWA.
ECCC established contribution agreements with interested Nations and organizations for engagement in fiscal year 2020-2021. ECCC is currently re-engaging with Nations and organizations to establish contribution agreements for this fiscal year.
Indigenous engagement on the CWA will continue throughout 2021.
Public and stakeholder engagement was focused on feedback on the Discussion Paper, national and regional forums, and science and data workshops.
The Government of Canada launched a PlaceSpeak engagement platform on May 13, 2020, to start public engagement on the CWA.
The Discussion Paper was posted on the PlaceSpeak engagement platform on December 17, 2020.
A survey based on the various themes and discussion questions in the Discussion Paper was also available for the public on the PlaceSpeak engagement site until March 1, 2021.
Next steps and timing will be determined following a review of external and internal input, and further research, analysis, and deliberations and are expected to align with timing on decisions related to the commitment to “develop further protections and take active steps to clean up the Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg, Lake Simcoe and other large lakes.”
Once decisions are made concerning the mandate of the CWA attention will turn to issues around organizational design, resources, and location of the CWA.
Flood season 2021
Issue
With the 2021 flood season underway in Canada ECCC may be requested to provide Canadians and provincial and territorial flood forecasting agencies with information to support their responses to potential flooding this season.
Points to register
ECCC measures water levels and flow rates on Canada’s rivers and lakes to support flood forecasting carried out by provincial, territorial and conservation authorities.
Provincial authorities are largely responsible for issuing flood forecasts and warnings in Canada. ECCC, in partnership with the provinces and territories, provides the majority of flow data used by agencies to issue forecasts and warnings.
In a flood situation ECCC is responsible for providing weather forecasts and information on water levels and flow. Provinces and territories use this information to develop flood forecasts, provide updates on current conditions and issue warnings for their respective areas.
As with every flood season, ECCC is providing seasonal and long- to short-range forecast products and analysis as well as risk monitoring to address and highlight any potential flood risks. ECCC is considering a variety of national and international forecasting tools, from seasonal to short-term and from global to regional scales, to strengthen the risk assessment process.
In some unique cases, other boards and agencies where ECCC has responsibilities for the forecast our engineers issue the flow forecast. It is still up to local municipalities and provinces to issue flood warnings at the local level.
These “domestic” board secretariats are housed at ECCC by way of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a specific board or federal/interprovincial agreements. The forecasts produced by the boards are transmitted to provincial agencies who issue the flood forecasts and warnings.
ECCC also provides forecasts on the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River system as part of our International Joint Comission obligations.
Background/current status
Flood season in Canada is underway. Canadians can rest assured that ECCC is committed to continuing its critical work to prepare for it. With information from ECCC along with other critical sources Canadians will have the information they need to make timely decisions on how best to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their property.
The provinces and territories (with ECCC support) are vigilantly monitoring snow and rain levels and spring thaw over the next few months.
ECCC prepares a weekly Consolidated Provincial/Territorial Flood Potential Report to assist senior management and the Government Operations Centre (GOC) regarding actionable flood potential across Canada. The report contains hydrology information from ECCC’s National Hydrological Service (NHS) as well as a four-week weather outlook from ECCC’s Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC).
Update frequency will increase if flooding is expected or is occurring. The additional updates will be situational and area dependent.
ECCC will ensure alignment and co-ordination with provinces and territories, emergency management organizations as well as other flood response agencies on messaging, as appropriate.
ECCC, in cooperation with Global Water Futures (GWF), held the “Second Annual Canadian Flood Forecasting Forum” on February 22-24, 2021.The outcome of this event was to continue efforts for enhanced communication and collaboration between ECCC and our provincial and territorial partners nationwide, towards the establishment of a “National Flood Forecasting Community of Practice”.
ECCC, along with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and Public Safety (PS), is engaged in the issue of floodplain mapping within Canada. ECCC provides technical and scientific support in the areas of hydrology and hydraulics that will enhance confidence in the information provided to NRCan and PS in disseminating this information to provinces and territories who have the responsibility for floodplain management.
While the Government of Canada is concentrating communications efforts on a sustained campaign to address COVID-19, communications related to other matters of public safety, including flood preparedness communications, will continue.
Parks Canada manages nine heritage canals that include 625 km of waterways and more than 200 dams controlling major watersheds in Ontario and Quebec.
The Ontario Canals are comprised of natural lakes and rivers and sections of man-made canals. Water levels on the Trent-Severn waterways and the Rideau Canal are managed by Parks Canada staff year-round with water management decision-making seeking to balance mitigating flooding, navigation, public safety and protection of cultural and environmental resources.
With the exception of the Saint-Ours Dam, Quebec Waterways do not have the ability to control the water levels linked to flooding because the canals of Quebec are neither equipped nor designed to regulate the flow and volume of water.
Protection of the Great Lakes
Issue
The Government of Canada is committed to the protection of the Great Lakes.
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The Government of Canada is addressing environmental challenges affecting the Great Lakes.
Through the Great Lakes Protection Initiative (GLPI), established in 2017, the Government of Canda is implementing commitments under the Canada-United States Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The GLPI is a regional initiative supported by existing and ongoing resources as well as an additional $44.84M over five years announced in Budget 2017 as part of the Freshwater Action Plan that combines science and action to address priorities in the Great Lakes. The Initiative is currently focused on:
Preventing toxic and nuisance algae;
Assessing and enhancing the resilience of Great Lakes coastal wetlands;
Evaluating and identifying at risk nearshore waters;
Reducing releases of harmful chemicals;
Engaging Indigenous peoples in address Great Lakes issues;
Increasing public engagement through citizen science; and,
Restoring Great Lakes Areas of Concern.
The draft Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (2021-2026) is aligned with the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and is targeted to advancing progress on addressing challenges facing the Great Lakes including by protecting water, preventing pollution, improving wetlands, beaches and coastal areas, protecting habitats and species, enhancing understanding and adaptation, and promoting innovation and engaging communities.
The mandate letter received from the Prime Minister directs the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change to develop further protections and take active steps to clean up large lakes, including the Great lakes.
The Government of Canada is exploring approaches to further protect and restore vital freshwater ecosystems including the Great Lakes and other large lakes.
The Great Lakes are also being considered in association with federal efforts to create a new Canada Water Agency.
Background/current status
The Canada-U.S. Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) has been a vital framework for ensuring binational cooperation and action to restore and maintain the water quality and ecological health of the Great Lakes for close to 50 years. The GLWQA was significantly revised in 2012 to respond to the most critical threats to environmental quality in the Great Lakes. Approaches to science and management were updated. Existing commitments to restore degraded Areas of Concern, and address the threat of excess nutrients, chemicals of mutual concern, and discharges from vessels, as well as the necessary scientific research were reaffirmed, and new commitments were added to address significant challenges to Great Lakes water quality, including the threat from aquatic invasive species and climate change, as well as the loss of habitat and species.
To help meet Canada's obligations under the GLWQA, the Governments of Canada and Ontario cooperate and coordinate their activities to restore, protect and conserve Great Lakes water quality and ecosystem health through a series of Canada-Ontario Agreements dating back to 1971. A new 2021 Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA), for the period 2021-2026, is targeted for release in spring 2021.
The 2021 COA will build on the previous COA by bringing forward commitments to protecting the lakes from excessive nutrients and harmful pollutants, cleaning up Areas of Concern, preventing the entry of aquatic invasive species, conserving important fish and wildlife habitats, as well as strengthening collaboration with the Great Lakes community and Indigenous peoples. Once ratified, the 2021 COA, for the first time, will also address emerging issues related to the impacts of plastic pollution and excessive application of road salt, largely in response to concerns expressed by the Great Lakes community.
Currently, the Department is exploring approaches to further protect and restore vital freshwater ecosystems, including the Great Lakes, as committed in the Minister’s 2019 Mandate Letter.
Current funding for the Great Lakes Protection Initiative is provided through the Freshwater Action Plan (Budget 2017) and sunsets in 2022.
Water Quality Monitoring
Issue
In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) enacted its Business Continuity Plan in an effort to prioritize the health and safety of the Department’s workforce. This meant a focus on critical services such as meteorological forecasting and response to environmental emergencies. Consequently, some field and laboratory work related to non-critical services were temporarily suspended, including routine freshwater and marine water quality monitoring. The impacts include gaps in sampling and analysis for a number of federal sites across the country in 2020, the need for modifications to agreements with provinces and territories, and increased funding transfers through agreements to allow ongoing sampling where possible and the use of private laboratories where appropriate.
Points to register
ECCC launched the resumption of field and laboratory activities in early fall of 2020. This resumption continues to be complex and requires diligent planning to ensure the health and safety of staff and the communities in which we operate are protected.
Local and regional COVID-19 epidemiology continues to affect field and laboratory activities. For example, in regions and provinces where more restrictive measures were imposed in response to the second and third wave of the pandemic, field and laboratory activities were scaled back to meet local and regional public health recommendations.
The impact of the suspension on the Government’s water quality monitoring activities has been that a number of federal sites across the country were not sampled as per the routine annual long-term water quality monitoring plans, and there have been delays in some sample analysis.
By increasing funding transfers through agreements with provinces and territories and using private labs, the Government of Canada has minimized the impact of the temporary suspension of field and laboratory activities on long-term water quality monitoring across Canada.
ECCC will also continue to assess sanitary pollution risks in shellfish-bearing marine waters and work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to meet food safety objectives and the protection of shellfish consumers.
Background/current status
The protection and stewardship of water is a joint federal provincial/territorial responsibility.
The Government of Canada works in partnership with the provinces and territories to protect our freshwater resources for present and future generations through collaborations such as coordinating water sampling efforts, as well as sharing knowledge, information and data on water quality, which we have done for decades.
In nearshore coastal waters, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) is responsible for monitoring molluscan shellfish harvest areas to support federal food safety objectives.
The Government of Canada works closely with provinces and territories with respect to water quality monitoring. This includes coordination and agreement through annual planning for sampling at federal, provincial, territorial sites. Similarly, there are routine agreements in place for the use of federal, provincial, territorial and private labs for sample analysis based on the specialisation required for the sample analysis.
While some data gaps have resulted from the suspension of activities, thanks to partnerships with provinces and territories, ECCC will continue to report on Canadian aquatic ecosystem health status and trends based on long-term water quality monitoring, accounting for short-term gaps in federal data collection.
Wastewater
Issue
Wastewater is Canada’s largest source of water pollution. The federal Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations address the release of untreated and undertreated wastewater in the environment. Given shared powers related to wastewater management, the federal government continues to work with other jurisdictions to adress unresolved wastewater- related issues.
Points to register
The federal government has an effective and responsible approach to manage wastewater releases. This approach implements the CCME Canada-Wide Strategy for the Management of Municipal Wastewater Effluent which was developed with all levels of government over more than 10 years.
The Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations set national effluent quality standards achievable through secondary-level treatment.
National baseline effluent quality standards applied starting in 2015.
Most communities meet these standards. Approximately 75% of effluent released receives a minimum level of secondary treatment.
Wastewater upgrades are underway in areas lacking proper treatment. These improvements will be colmpleted by 2040, and will significantly reduce the amount of untreated and undertreated wastewater entering Canadian waterways.
The Government of Canada continues to make investments in wastewater infrastructure a priority. Since 2015 Infrastructure Canada has contributed close to $2B to more than 1,700 wastewater projects.
Background/current status
All levels of government share responsibility for managing wastewater.
The Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations came into force in 2012 after undergoing consultations with provinces, territories, municipalities, industry organizations, and Indigenous communities and organizations.
The Regulations set effluent quality standards that require wastewater facilities to achieve a secondary level of treatment which applied starting in 2015.
This level of treatment allows the removal of up to 95% of conventional pollutants and up to 90% of other contaminants.
The Regulations apply to approximately 1,700 wastewater systems that discharge to water and collect a volume of influent of 100 m3/day or more. This represents the largest source of wastewater releases (about 6 billion m3/year), of which 75% meets the effluent quality standards.
The regulations do not apply in NWT, Nunavut or northern Quebec where the general prohibition applies.
Also do not apply where there are equivalency agreements in place (QC and Yukon).
Recognizing that communities would need time to plan, finance and build or upgrade wastewater facilities, the Regulations provided a one-time opportunity to apply for a Transitional Authorization by June 30, 2014, if they did not have treatment in place that could meet the standards.
Timelines for compliance were given based on level of risk: 2020 (high risk), 2030 (medium risk), and 2040 (low risk).
ECCC is proposing to amend the regulations to:
Give approx. 133 communities across Canada another opportunity to apply for a Transitional Authorization;
Authorize and set conditions on releases of untreated wastewater from collection systems that are required to maintain, repair and upgrade sewer systems.
NoI was published in June 2020; consultations underway; targetting CGI early 2022.
In some cities, sewage and stormwater systems are combined. This can create overflows if rainfall or snowmelt exceed a wastewater treatment plants’ capacity.
Combined sewer overflows are not authorized under the Regulations. They represent about 3% of all wastewater released in Canada.
Under the Fisheries Act communities must report any releases of untreated sewage and take measures to mitigate the impact of those releases.
