Twenty-Five Years of the Canada Water Act

The Canada Water Act became law September 30, 1970. The main intention was to facilitate cooperative federal-provincial arrangements for water management, a goal which continues to produce positive, if unspectacular, results. Approximately 70 cost-sharing agreements have been authorized by the Act and funded by the CWA Fund in the past 25 years. In this paper, trends in the nature and funding of projects are reviewed over the period of record. Some achievements and limitations are noted. Recently, changing priorities and severe budget cuts in Environment Canada will probably mean the elimination of the CWA Fund in the near future, but the legislation itself is being considered for possible updating and amendment.