WC132 SeptOct 2023 - Magazine - Page 27
LEGAL
Revolution on the Prairies
The unique role of Saskatchewan’s
Water Security Agency
BY AARON ATCHESON, KAYLA ROMANOW, AND ERICA BODIE
S
ASKATCHEWAN BRINGS a unique approach to
water security, offering many lessons for other parts of
Canada. With the establishment of its Water Security
Agency (WSA), Saskatchewan has succeeded in bringing
the majority of its government’s core water management
responsibilities together under one umbrella, providing inspiration into the mechanisms of a unified water management
approach and the potential for replication across the country.
Aaron Atcheson
Aaron Atcheson is a partner with
Miller Thomson LLP in its London, Ont.
office, and is the leader of the firm’s
Projects Group. Aaron practices real
estate, environmental, and business
law with an emphasis on energy and
infrastructure projects.
Erica Bodie
Erica Bodie is an articling student in
the Regina office of Miller Thomson
LLP and a graduate of the University of
Saskatchewan.
Kayla Romanow
Getty Images
Kayla Romanow is an associate in the
Regina office of Miller Thomson LLP,
maintaining a broad corporate and
commercial law practice with a focus
on financial services, mergers and
acquisitions, and real estate, with a
specialization in infrastructure and
energy projects.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
Understanding the Water Security Agency
Water governance in Canada is decentralized, with the federal,
provincial, and municipal governments sharing the responsibility.1 The WSA manages the province’s water supply, protects water
quality, ensures safe drinking water and treatment of wastewater,
owns and manages 72 dams and related water supply channels,
reduces flood and drought damage, protects aquatic habitat, and
provides information about water.2
Established in 2012, the WSA was formed by merging several
existing bodies to create a more streamlined and effective approach
to water governance. This new arms-length Crown corporation
replaced the former watershed authority and led to the implementation of the 25-Year Saskatchewan Water Security Plan, which
was recently replaced by the WSA’s new Strategic Plan for 2022 to
2026. This strategic plan outlines principles that guide Saskatchewan’s management of water and groundwater supplies and informs
the WSA’s planning and day-to-day operations.3
The WSA takes its authority from The Water Security Agency
Act (the Act) 4 and the regulations5 administered under the Act.
The Act highlights the mandates and purposes of the WSA which
are the foundation of what makes the WSA a leader in water
security management in Canada.
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