The Fondation Rivières submitted a brief to the Transport and Environment Committee on Bill No. 20 establishing the blue fund and amending other provisions.
The Blue Fund is an opportunity to correct the situation in water protection
For 20 years, the quality, quantity and access to water have been deteriorating or stagnating due to lack of adequate management of water resources. The Blue Fund is a step in the right direction, but we must ensure that it does not become a simple marketing vehicle intended to finance awareness-raising activities without any real impact on improving the health of aquatic environments. If this were the case, it would be a sad waste of public funds.
The Blue Fund must reflect the importance and value of water, go beyond the simple implementation of actions and be equipped with mechanisms to measure the results obtained through its various programs. These programs must be based on measures to financially reward actions that preserve water resources and penalize actions that harm them in a dissuasive manner. No Blue Fund will replace a well-applied regulation.
In collaboration with Emergency Water, the Fondation Rivières met with around forty experts in Quebec to take stock of the National Water Policy and the Quebec Water Strategy and the recommendations that follow are inspired by these interviews.
The Blue Fund is an opportunity to correct the situation, but on the condition of:
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- Ensure that the Blue Fund is managed by an autonomous board of directors and on the basis of a business plan focused on achieving clearly defined results;
- Modify the mandate of watershed organizations (OBV) so as to implement results-based management with a formal evaluation mandate;
- Produce a water report and public reporting every two years;
- Choose a few priorities, finance them well and apply eco-conditionality measures.
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Photo: David Stanley