Collaborative Watershed Governance 26-27 Jan 2012

Spaces (and bursaries) are still available for the cutting-edge “unconference” on collaborative watershed governance!

The event, “A Water Gathering: Collaborative Watershed Governance in BC and Beyond – Solutions Forum,” will take place January 26 to 27, 2012 at UBC Robson Square, Vancouver.

The goal of this gathering is to provide participants with practical knowledge and skills for developing and maintaining collaborative processes, and to build new and strengthen existing networks. Participants will identify the skills essential for collaborative engagement and the necessary steps for realizing new forms of governance. Drawing on successful stories of change, the gathering will focus on what can be done and how to do it.

The POLIS WSP is helping organize and deliver the event, hosted by the Pacific Business and Law Institute and the Summit Institute. For more information or to register call 604-730-2500 (local) or 877-730-2555 (toll free) or visit www.pbli.com/933.

AAG Conference Sessions (April 2011)

UBC’s Program on Water Governance hosted 3 sessions at the AAG annual meeting on Thursday April 14th 2011 in Seattle, WA, on the topic of  Water governance and the politics of scale: A critical examination of water governance in a multi-scalar environment.

Over the past two decades, geographers have made advancements in addressing issues relating to the politics of scale and water governance independently. We suggest that together the discussions of “politics of scale” and “governance” will bring a more nuanced approach to governing flow resources such as water. For example, unpacking issues related to jurisdictional fragmentation and social construction of borders have both theoretical and practical value. In addition, an expanded relationship between theory and praxis, where academic learning and on-the-ground knowledge are exchanged, would enrich our understanding of the scalar challenges in water governance.

For more detailed information on the 3 sessions please visit the following website links: Session 1, Session 2, Session 3

Session Organizers:
Emma Norman: emma.norman@ubc.ca
Christina Cook: clcook@interchange.ubc.ca
Karen Bakker: bakker@geog.ubc.ca

World Water Day: March 22, 2010

UN World Water Day (March 22nd), aims to draw attention to global water issues. In response, the Program on Water Governance collaborated with a number of local and international organizations, to host an evening event in Vancouver. The focus of the panel event was Water: Challenges and Opportunities in Western Canada and abroad.

The opening guest speaker was Canadian author Andrew Nikiforuk (Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent). Nikiforuk discussed the water energy nexus focusing on three areas: the impact of the tar sands on water, the Enbridge (Gateway) pipeline project, and hydrofracturing (a water-intense process that is used to release shale gas). Nikiforuk was joined by two more panelists: Chief Bob Chamberlin, chair of the Musgamagw-Tsawataineuk Tribal Council, and Patrick Lucas, an environmental scientist and returned CUSO-VSO volunteer. The panel was moderated by Dr. Karen Bakker, director of the UBC Program on Water Governance (and author of Eau Canada: The Future of Canada’s Water).

Water: Challenges and Opportunities was held at UBC Robson Square. A 6 part video recording of Andrew Nikiforuk’s presentation at this event is available on You Tube:

World Water Day 2010 – part 1 of 6

World Water Day 2010 – part 2 of 6

World Water Day 2010 – part 3 of 6

World Water Day 2010 – part 4 of 6

World Water Day 2010 – part 5 of 6 (Q&A)

World Water Day 2010 – part 6 of 6 (Q&A)

The event was sponsored by Connecting Environmental Professionals, Tides Canada, Amnesty International, Program on Water Governance (UBC), Council of Canadians, Oxfam Canada, The Water Team, the Sauder School of Business (UBC) and Bullfrog Power.

Water Security Workshop

This one day workshop, brought together the water security project partners, water professionals, policy makers and end users to engage in knowledge translation; a two-way  flow of knowledge between participants and the research team. We solicited input on project deliverables such as the Water Security Primer, the Indicator Inventory and our Water Security Framework.

  • Where: Liu Institute, UBC
  • When: Tuesday 29th September, 2009

Read the Water Security Workshop (29th Sept. 2009) Report.