The Environmental Advisory Council has completed their report on the Water Act consultations, says Minister of Communities, Land and Environment Robert Mitchell.
“I want to thank members of the Environmental Advisory Council for their leadership throughout the primary stages of the Water Act development and thank them for preparing this report summarizing what feedback was given through the public consultation process,” said Minister Mitchell. “Government will now use the information presented in this report to support the drafting of the legislation.”
The Water Act Public Consultation Report provides data around the consultations including a full appendix of who provided feedback and a brief summary of their comments. It also outlines the findings throughout the consultation phase with key themes and recommendations heard from the public. The report states that six key themes emerged through the process including water governance and legislation, water quality, watershed management, environmental flows and ecosystem health, water quantity and conservation, and new approaches to water resource protection.
The Council’s report concludes that any legislative, regulatory and/or policy framework should support efforts to:
- conserve, protect and restore the health of aquatic and riparian ecosystems;
- safeguard and enhance drinking water;
- regulate water use in a manner that respects ecosystems as well as human needs;
- ensure water security through use efficiency and conservation practices;
- encourage and enforce land use management practices that protect water quality, the integrity and health of watersheds, associated watercourses, and the groundwater resource;
- allow for continuous adaptation to water management rules, as science advances, or natural conditions change; and
- standardize, streamline and make transparent government decision-making.
The Act development phase will begin immediately and carry into the summer months. Once the first draft of legislation is complete, government will then take the legislation back out to public consultation before finalizing Prince Edward Island’s Water Act.
To access the Environmental Advisory Council’s Water Act Public Consultation Report visit www.gov.pe.ca/wateract.