Author: Susan McFarlane
Regional Water Works: Sharing Urban Water Services provides an overview of the current state of regional water in six large western Canadian city regions. It outlines the case for sharing urban water services, uncovering practical lessons on how to do so, and proposes recommendations for increasing the amount and effectiveness of regional cooperation.
Better services at lower cost and effective regional watershed management are some of the tremendous benefits in working together and adopting regional approaches to water management in urban regions. But with these benefits, there comes significant barriers. This means that municipalities must find ways to work together to garner the benefits of cooperation and avoid costs of conflicts. Regional Water Works will provide some recommendations for how to do so.
This report was prepared by Canada West Foundation’s Senior Policy Analyst, Susan McFarlane, and is part of the Foundation’s Western Cities Project. This Project is a multi-year public consultation initiative that focuses on western Canada’s largest cities, identifying the policy challenges that they face and the best practices for resolving them.