National Roundtable on CBWM
Key Takeaways:
- In 2018, Living Lakes Canada, The Gordon Foundation, and WWF-Canada convened a collaborative dialogue around federal government engagement and support for community-based water monitoring (CBWM) in Canada.
- More than 50 leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous CBWM practitioners, water scientists, policy and data experts developed tangible recommendations on how the federal government can strategically engage with and support CBWM efforts across the country.
- Living Lakes Canada continues to work with other water leaders to encourage federal action on the CBWM recommendations.
Community-based Water Monitoring (CBWM) is gaining momentum across Canada and is a powerful means of achieving shared water management and sustainability objectives.
To realize the full potential of this growing movement, coordination and leadership is needed at the federal level, across departments, and in concert with non-governmental actors. A partnered approach to water monitoring will drive innovative strategies for gathering accurate data and information to guide management decisions for healthy lake and river ecosystems.
In partnership with WWF-Canada and The Gordon Foundation, Living Lakes Canada convened a multi-sector CBWM Roundtable on November 27-28, 2018 in Ottawa, ON to identify tangible, actionable opportunities for the federal government to support and engage with CBWM groups. All three organizations engage with Community-Based Water Monitoring (CBWM) in different ways and are committed to advancing collaborative and evidence-based water stewardship across Canada.
The rationale for this conference was based on the results of a national CBWM scan that Living Lakes Canada had conducted in partnership with Simon Fraser University and University of Acadia in 2016, 31 which demonstrated an exponential growth in CBWM in Canada over 10 years, and on a survey of CBWM groups led by The Gordon Foundation in partnership with WWF-Canada and Living Lakes Canada in 2017.
The key objective of the Roundtable was to identify actionable steps the federal government can take to show leadership and support in advancing community-based monitoring of freshwater ecosystems in Canada. More than 50 leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous CBWM practitioners, water scientists, policy and data experts developed tangible recommendations on how the federal government can strategically engage with and support CBWM efforts across Canada. Final recommendations were released in 2019.
ENGLISH
- Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada Final Recommendations
- Roundtable Discussion Paper
- Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada at a Glance: Featured Case Studies
FRENCH
- Recommandations finales: Rehausser la surveillance communautaire des eaux au Canada
- Document de discussion
- Études de cas présentées
CBWM & the Canada Water Agency
In 2020, Living Lakes Canada was co-signer on collaborative letters from water leaders across Canada in support of the Canada Water Agency:
CBWM letter addressed to The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada - July 23 2020
Canada Water Agency letter to The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada - Sept 15 2020
As 60 recommendations will take time to implement, four key actions for the government to take were prioritized in an outreach letter to ECCC in 2021. The vision is that the Canada Water Agency should play a prominent role in supporting these key actions.
Status - Active
Categories
| Water Bodies |
|---|
| GroundwaterLakesRivers, Creeks and StreamsSnowWetlands |
| Regions |
| National |
| Collaborators |
| AcademiaCommunity groupsFirst NationsGovernment – FederalGovernment – Provincial |
| Types of Work |
| Citizen ScienceCommunity Based MonitoringDataPolicy |
News and Updates
- Community-based Water Monitoring & the Canada Water Agency – Our Living Waters, Mar 11 2021
- 2022 Pilot Implementation Report: Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework – Living Lakes Canada, Dec 19 2022
- Conference aims for biodiversity protection – Columbia Valley Pioneer, Dec 15 2022
- The Climate Crisis is a Water Crisis: Monitoring for Adaptation in the Columbia Basin – The Rossland Telegraph, Dec 1 2022
- Feds must keep promises on water – The Hill Times, Oct 12 2022
- Different ways the public participate in scientific research: Monitoring the health of streams with community-collected bugs – Canadian Science Publishing, Oct 12 2022
- Columbia Basin to benefit from B.C. watershed security investment – My East Kootenay Now, Apr 25 2022
- Elevating CBWM In Canada Webinar — Recording Available – Living Lakes Canada, May 14 2019
- CBWN Roundtable Final Recommendations Released – Living Lakes Canada, Apr 4 2019
- Living Lakes Canada Co-Hosts CBWM Roundtable In Ottawa – Living Lakes Canada, Dec 12 2018
- For a complete list of news features, visit our In The News page!
Resources
- Community-based Water Monitoring & the Canada Water Agency (2021)
- Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada: Final Recommendations (2019)
- Elevating Community-Based Water Monitoring in Canada: Featured Case Studies (2019)
- Community-Based Water Monitoring National Survey Highlights (2018)
- A Snapshot of Community-Based Water Monitoring In Canada (2017)
Related Projects
A Snapshot of CBWM in Canada
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Locations: | National |
| Water Bodies: | Groundwater, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks and Streams, Wetlands |
| Type: | Citizen Science, Community Based Monitoring, Policy, Survey |
Community-Based Water Monitoring Survey Highlights
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Locations: | National |
| Water Bodies: | Groundwater, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks and Streams, Wetlands |
| Type: | Citizen Science, Community Based Monitoring, Policy |
