[The Alberta Environmental Policy Series highlights the many environmental challenges and related government policies in Alberta. SAGE welcomes feedback on these topics.] The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) entered an agreement in 2021 with the Government of Alberta and Irrigating Alberta, Inc. for improving irrigation infrastructure and increasing water storage. The CIB loan amounts to $466…

22 June 2025The following is a response from the Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, regarding SAGE’s submission to the Enhanced Water Availability, Phase II engagement. Thank you for your June 25, 2025, letter, sharing your feedback on the proposed Water Act amendments to enhance Alberta’s water availability. As part of the…

02 July 2025: Sent to the Environment and Protected Areas and Natural Resources Conservation Board I understand the application for the Snake Lake Reservoir Expansion Project is being reviewed for completeness by both Environment and Protected Areas and Natural Resources Conservation Board. The joint April 14, 2025  Notice of Filing included posting of the EIA…

26 June 2025 The Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE) appreciates the opportunity to participate in the discussion on amendments to the Water Act. The objectives of this phase of the Enhancement of Water Availability engagement seem to have focused mainly on water management that maximizes water use (and economic opportunity), while neglecting to…

From The Lethbridge Herald, June 5, 2025 Lori Goater peers out from her kitchen table to the dwindling Oldman River, which should be flowing with ample water, has slowly been getting smaller which can be easily noticed during times of drought such as the last couple of years. Goater, who has a master’s degree in…

Lethbridge residents may have heard some talk about drought recently.  Most of us are aware that our water supply is pumped out of the Oldman River which flows out of its watershed in the mountains to the west.  Some of us may even know that upstream reservoirs hold back water from melting snow and spring…

Register for a Water Availability Webinar (June 19th at 12 noon), hosted by the Environmental Law Centre https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4OfQdb6_RaSgV6W2aOFItA#/registration

Submission for input to the Alberta online engagement on water availability Aquatic ecosystems include rivers, stream, lakes, ponds and wetlands as well as the riparian areas on their periphery. These landscape features capture, store, release and convey the water that falls as snow and rain. They are critical for sustaining life in a watershed and…

This post was originally published on ABlawg.ca Conclusions This ABlawg post has critiqued the amendments to the Water Act that expand government emergency powers focusing on the ability of Cabinet to order an inter-basin transfer to deal with emergencies. With respect to inter-basin transfers, we conclude that as inter-basin transfers need prior long-term planning, have potential serious…