Water Strategy Part of Sustainable Prosperity

A water resource management strategy will help Nova Scotia get the most from a vital natural resource, Environment and Labour Minister Mark Parent said today, March 30.

Mr. Parent said the strategy, which will be developed after public consultations, will begin by gathering key information about the quality and quantity of Nova Scotia's water.

"This information will tell us where we need to improve our water resources and we will act on it," said Mr. Parent. "It will also give us the information we need for making good, strategic decisions about the environment and the economy."

"We will know much more than we now do about the quality and quantity of our water," said Mr. Parent. "We will then build a management strategy around that information to ensure our water is sustainable for future generations."

Mr. Parent said water resource management strategy is required in the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.

The objectives of the act include international recognition as having one of the world's cleanest and most sustainable environments and an economic performance equal to, or better than, Canada's by 2020.

"To do that, we need to restore, preserve and manage our natural resources for maximum benefit," Mr. Parent said. "Water is fundamental to our health, our ecosystems and to our prosperity in forestry, agriculture, manufacturing and other sectors."

The water resource management strategy will help the Department of Environment and Labour make better decisions in the environmental assessment and industrial approval processes.

It will help government shape better policies in areas such as emergency planning, economic development, natural resources management and climate change adaptation.

Public consultations will begin later this spring.

The Department of Environment and Labour will work with nine departments to develop the strategy, which builds on the province's highly successful drinking water strategy implemented in 2002.