After more than a year of research and writing, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) released its report on a water management strategy for the Canadian Prairies on Aug. 31, 2020. The report, Prairie Prosperity: A Vision for the Management of Water Resources across Saskatchewan and the Prairies, can be found on WD’s webpage, or downloaded in PDF form here.
This document details WD’s key recommendations for potential approaches that can safeguard Prairie water resources against the effects of climate change. This vision for the management of water and land resources across the Prairies also aims to increase the possibility of using water more effectively to increase opportunities for those living in the region.
In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada embarked on the development of this vision. WD led the initial effort, which also included organizing the Prairie Water Summit in Regina in June 2019. At the Prairie Water Summit and Prairie Water Workshops, over 200 delegates, representing governments, Indigenous partners and rights-holders, agricultural producers, academics and stakeholders shared their expertise and perspectives about what a water management strategy for the Prairie provinces could look like.
WD conducted further research in conjunction with the summit suggestions to build an in-depth report that can help shape the future of the Prairies. The Government of Canada believes that advancing the recommendations of this report will help reduce the impacts of climate change, particularly more severe droughts and floods, on Prairie communities and agricultural producers, while also positioning Saskatchewan and the Prairies as global leaders in agri-food production.