Thank you very much for this opportunity to appear before the committee. I am joining you from Edmonton, Alberta, on the traditional territory of the signatories to Treaty 6. I also acknowledge the Métis people of Alberta, who have a deep connection to this land.

Water management is a priority of the Government of Alberta, and I really appreciate the opportunity to briefly share some key elements to ensure the protection, conservation and fair allocation of water for Albertans now as well as in years to come.

Alberta’s water for life strategy outlines our commitments to managing and safeguarding water. The strategy was established in 2003 and has undergone review to ensure our actions continue to achieve the strategy's three goals: safe, secure drinking water supplies; healthy aquatic ecosystems; and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy. The strategy also includes three strategic directions to achieve those goals: knowledge and research, water conservation and partnerships.

Water partners are empowered to support watershed stewardship across our province. At the provincial level, the Alberta Water Council provides policy advice to the government. Its 23 members are from governments, industry and non-governmental organizations. Alberta also has 11 watershed planning and advisory councils. These multi-sector organizations lead planning, report on the state of the watershed and advance water literacy at the watershed scale. At the local level, we have over 100 recognized watershed stewardship groups leading on-the-ground action and projects.

Alberta has two primary acts to protect our water and guide water use. The Water Act guides the allocation or withdrawal of freshwater resources and the protection of rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and groundwater. The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act supports the protection of the environment, including measures regarding water quality and pollution prevention. There are other acts that help manage water, such as the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, under which we've established water quality management frameworks, and the Fisheries Act, which supports the control of aquatic invasive species.

Our legislation includes provisions for establishing water management plans. These statutory plans are developed for water basins to guide regulatory decisions and approvals, establish minimum in-stream flow needs, outline conditions for diversions and set strategies for the protection of the aquatic environment.

To further manage land-use activities and cumulative impacts, Alberta also establishes environmental management frameworks for water. These are part of our land-use planning approach.

Underpinning our water management activities and decisions is our monitoring, evaluation and reporting program. It includes rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs, surface water quality, wetlands and groundwater. Each area has a long-term monitoring approach enabling the evaluation of changes to conditions and the impacts of pressures over time. In many cases, these go back several decades. Monitoring programs are reviewed every five years, and provincial-scale condition-of-the-environment reporting is updated regularly. Our system is overseen by the Office of the Chief Scientist, who is appointed by the minister.

Alberta also recognizes and takes seriously transboundary interests. Headwaters protection and the management of resources are responsibilities we have to ensure the safety and security of water for our downstream neighbours. Water flows north to the territories, east to the other prairie provinces and south to Montana. We work closely with these jurisdictions through long-standing agreements to share and preserve the ecological integrity of cross-border waters.

We have a number of priorities to increase and maintain the availability of water to support various users in our province while still maintaining the highest standards of water conservation and treatment. We are undertaking new studies for reservoirs and storage, assessing water conservation efficiency and productivity and modernizing information systems to allow real-time digital information.

For drought, we've released a drought response plan for 2024. Major water users in the South Saskatchewan River basin have signed water-sharing agreements, and we've put forward legislative changes to enhance action during emergencies.

We're also investing $125 million for new drought and flood water protection, about $9 million for wetland replacement programs and $3.5 million for watershed resiliency and restoration.

In closing, I'd like to mention the importance of provincial jurisdiction as the federal government reviews the Canada Water Act and establishes the Canada water agency. We hold different accountabilities: The Government of Alberta is the primary manager for water use, watershed management, water allocation, drinking water standards, source water protection and power development. The federal government’s role focuses on other issues like international or interprovincial pollution, clean water for federally managed land, and fisheries, shipping and navigation.

It's critical for provinces to be at the forefront of any discussions where federal legislative updates may be considered that impact provincial jurisdiction. I encourage this committee to consider the roles that provinces and territories have as leaders and stewards of water as it works through its mandate.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide a very quick overview of our system.