Ever since the Great Depression of the 1930s, a key goal of economic growth and development in the West has been the drive to secure a more diverse economic base.

Successes on this front include the aerospace industry in Manitoba, the Canadian Light Source synchrotron facility in Saskatchewan, medical research facilities and programs endowed in Alberta, and the strong economic and social links established between Asia-Pacific nations and the lower mainland in British Columbia.  In many ways, western Canadians today certainly do benefit from a more diverse and dynamic economy.

But despite impressive and robust growth in the services sector, and a good number of impressive examples of economic diversification, the great bulk of western Canadian exports are still resource-based.  The development and production of natural resources and primary industry remains an important mainstay of the western Canadian economy.

When it comes to natural resources, one of the most important has to be the region’s water.  It’s a given that a clean and readily accessible supply of water is essential for sustaining life, so much so that most of us take the matter entirely for granted.  But water is also the essential lifeblood of the West’s most important economic sectors, whether that be tourism and fishing in British Columbia, oil and gas development in Alberta, agriculture and irrigation in Saskatchewan, or hydro generation in Manitoba.

Water is critically important to the West, and western Canadians know it.  A Nanos survey in 2009 asked Westerners what they believed was the most important natural resource (Nanos 2009).  Twice as many said water (61%) as did oil and gas (27%).  Water was leaps and bounds ahead of all other resources, including forestry (8%) and fisheries (3%).

At the same time, the West is faced with a clear and growing vulnerability with water, and this vulnerability goes well beyond coping with the persistent and perpetual threat of the next drought hanging around the corner.  Growing demand, diminishing supply, heavily and over-allocated rivers, compromised aquatic ecosystems, industrial and commercial discharge, agricultural run-off, water body eutrophication, drinking water quality, tensions, disputes, and potential conflict are all floating down the stream.  And then there is climate change—the real “wild” card.  Lying in its wake are retreating glaciers, increased variability and less predictability, and more extreme weather events—droughts over here and floods over there.

The potential impacts are far-reaching.  Take urban storm drainage.  Much of this infrastructure was built for a relatively stationary climate.  It was not designed to accommodate a downpour of five inches of rain within a 20 block radius. Some estimates of retro-fitting infrastructure to accommodate increased weather volatility could reach up to $40,000 per household (Vander Ploeg 2010).

Certainly, one of the biggest and most important issues on the western Canadian policy agenda today has to be the current state and future health of our water resources and related infrastructure.

“It would be a major mistake for Canada to handle this issue badly,” argues former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed (Globe and Mail 2008).  “With climate change and growing needs, Canadians will need all the fresh water we can conserve, particularly in the western provinces.  I hope that when the time comes, Canada will be ready.  The reality is that fresh water is more valuable than crude oil.”

The traditional response to water challenges has been to better harness and manage the resource through large-scale infrastructure projects that divert, store, convey, and clean our water—dams, on-stream and off-stream reservoirs, water and wastewater treatment facilities, pumping stations, canals, and pipeline networks.  These large-scale projects provide huge volumes of water at relatively low cost for millions—whether in the city or on the farm.  But for a number of reasons, this traditional approach has fallen into disfavour.  Not only is the approach expensive, but such “mega” supply-side solutions carry some very real environmental and ecological costs.  What is more, water is more than a “big” issue.  It is what many call a “wicked” or “meta-problem.”

“Many water resource problems can be termed ‘wicked’ or ‘meta-problems’ because they extend beyond the scope of a single government agency and level of government, and are associated with high levels of change, complexity, uncertainty, and conflict,” (National Water Research Institute 2004).  In other words, the issue is so large and so complex that it defies a simple, single, and centralized solution.

It makes sense, then, that attention is increasingly focusing on the “small-scale” or “decentralized” solution to local water woes, where individuals, industry, business, and small groups and local communities are taking responsibility for some of their own water needs through individually-owned or operated water capture, storage, and treatment systems.  The inherent strength of small-scale water provision is how it addresses local water problems through local solutions.  Because such provision is self-supplied, it encourages people to take responsibility for their own water use and helps contribute to a stronger water ethic.

Self-supply of water has always enjoyed a certain level of acceptability among westerners, from the old-fashioned rain barrel to the locally owned and operated water-coop in the rural acreage community.  Innovations in engineering continue to expand the options.  Advancements in technology continue to open the door on new approaches to infrastructure that were not possible in the past. Across the world, engineering technology is resulting in the design and production of many types of small-scale systems to solve water issues—from solar-powered personal desalination equipment to integrated rainwater harvesting systems for household use.

What I find more than a little interesting is how many of these are being researched, developed, produced, and marketed right here in our own backyard.  This includes developing alternative water sources, water recycling and reuse, and small-scale water treatment.  All share at least one similarity—foregoing the “big centralized” solution with the “small decentralized” option fueled by technology.

Part II will detail some of these new developments, and present some concrete examples.  We’ll look at some western-based technologies and products that include the following:

  • Aquascape RainXchange™
  • EcoLibra Systems Inc.
  • Rainwater Connection™
  • Mainstream Water Solutions Inc.
  • Bushman™ Systems
  • GEE Electropure Technology
  • Vento Windmill Development Inc.
  • Tec-Water Supplies Inc.
  • LWR Systems Inc.
  • Greywater Recycling R&D at University of Regina

Back to diversification.  In the 1970s and 1980s, attempts at economic diversification turned around the idea of governments providing tax incentives and even direct financial support to stimulate and establish entirely new business opportunities.  The shine came off that approach in the 1990s.  Today, attempts at diversification spin around building upon inherent strengths and very real needs.  Given the importance of water in the West, there is plenty of opportunity to turn a growing vulnerability into an economic strength.

– By Casey Vander Ploeg, Senior Policy Analyst

Sources

Globe and Mail.  2008.  “The Second Coming of Peter Lougheed.”  Article written by John Gray.  August 29, 2008.  Toronto, ON.

Nanos, Nik.  2009.  “Canadians Overwhelmingly Choose Water as our Most Important Natural Resource.”  Policy Options.  July-August 2009.  Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP).  Montreal, QC.

National Water Research Institute (NWRI).  2004.  Threats to Water Availability in Canada.  NWRI Scientific Assessment Report Series No. 3.  Ottawa, ON.

Vander Ploeg, Casey G.  2010.  From H20: Turning Alberta’s Water Headache to Opportunity.  Canada West Foundation.  Calgary, AB.