Think Like a Watershed

“Moving forward towards holistic watershed governance will require a new Canadian narrative based on our aboriginal heritage that is truly collaborative and inclusive” – John Ralston Saul

Watershed governance is where democracy meets community. A systems approach, it strengthens collaboration between citizens, communities and decision-makers at the watershed level. It completely changes the way we think about our water, recognizing it as a public trust essential for our survival and calling for true collaboration.

In the spirit  of wanting to build strong cross cultural bridges, we facilitated a dialogue to discuss what water inclusive watershed governance would look like in the Columbia Basin.  It was a formidable gathering of  First Nations,  local and provincial governments,  non-governmental organizations, industry, academics, scientist and local policy experts. Water stewardship groups, academia, policy experts, scientists, local and provincial government, industry and First Nations were brought together to talk about the need for better watershed governance in the region.

Celebrated Canadian intellectual and author, John Ralston Saul, highlighted the need for a new cross-cultural narrative to change the way we think about water, and on which to base a foundation for mutual respect and meaningful First Nations participation.
The three short videos in this series came from a desire to continue the conversation, to extend the meaningful and necessary cross cultural exchanges that took place at the symposium. If we’re going to change the narrative, we better start telling the story.

Thank you to the Columbia Basin Trust and the BC Real Estate Foundation for supporting this project.