| March 22, 2010 WORLD WATER DAY VICTORIA - Boundary-Similkameen MLA John Slater spoke in the legislature today to raise awareness of water issues and acknowledge World Water Day. “It is still a reality that it's estimated that 1.1 billion people in the world rely on unsafe drinking water sources,” said Slater. “Special events are happening throughout the world to bring awareness to the importance of water quality and quantity.” “The theme for the World Water Day 2010 is ‘Clean water for a healthy world.’ The overall goal for the 2010 campaign is to raise the profile of water at the political level so that water quality considerations are made alongside of those of water quantity.” MLA Slater will be in Kelowna at the launch of the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s water supply and demand project this Friday, March 26, 2010. The three-year study provides a comprehensive look at water availability in the Okanagan Valley. “It includes an analysis of how our water supply will be affected by climate change,” said Slater. “We believe that this project will be a learning resource for all watersheds in our province.” The B.C. government is looking at ways to bring the 1909 Water Act, the province’s primary water legislation, into the 21st century to respond to the new challenges that exist for managing population growth and climate change. “The government recognizes that the social context in the Water Act was built upon very different circumstances a hundred years ago.” Through the months of March and April, the Ministry of Environment's water stewardship division is hosting 12 one-day Water Act–modernization workshops throughout the province to share information, discuss principles for a new water act and explore proposals for change. -30- | |
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