A public workshop on the future of the Columbia River Treaty held in Osoyoos has concluded that the Treaty needs to be modified to meet the needs of First Nations, growing population numbers, increasing competition for water, fisheries health and environmental values, as well as negative impacts on Canadian agriculture and the impacts of a changing climate.
The workshop took place Oct. 7 at the Sonora Centre in Osoyoos and was organized by the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) and the Adaptation to Climate Change Team (ACT) at Simon Fraser University.
It featured presenters from local and provincial government, First Nations, and academia; and the audience included a diverse mix of federal, provincial, and local government officials, Canadian First Nations, Native American Tribal Organizations, non-governmental organizations, local businesses and members of the public.
Stewart Phillip, Grand Chief of the Okanagan Nation and President of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, summarized the meeting by concluding that an opportunity now exists to renegotiate the aging treaty in a spirit of collaboration across international boundaries, with First Nations at the table to ensure First Nations’ participation and ultimately consent, as is now required based on the June 2014 Canadian Supreme Court Tsilqot’in decision.
“In the face of the devastation of climate change, it is crucial for the sake of our grandchildren and their grandchildren that the eco-system, including ensuring salmon passage to the Upper Columbia, become central to any new Treaty,” urged Grand Chief Phillip.
Workshop co-organizer Dr. Brian Guy of the CWRA noted that First Nations were excluded from the original treaty, and the assessment of impacts at the time greatly under estimated the loss to fisheries and ecosystem values.
Co-convenor Deborah Harford, Executive Director of ACT, added, “The prospect of a changing climate will have profound effects on the timing and quantity of river flows such that overall water security will become a paramount issue on both sides of the international border.”
Dr. John Wagner of University of British Columbia reported on recent research showing that, not only was Canadian agricultural land flooded by Treaty dams, but also controlled water releases from Canadian storages continue to provide unintended benefits worth millions of dollars and thousands of jobs annually to the U.S.
The expanded U.S. agricultural capacity created by Canadian-sourced irrigation water also allows U.S. farmers to outcompete Canadian farmers. Dr. Wagner suggested that we should take this opportunity in renegotiating the treaty to more equitably share the agricultural benefits of Canadian storage with farmers in B.C.
Other key points agreed to by workshop participants include:
Renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty needs to be an inclusive process, involving local populations and First Nations on both sides of the border;
The Columbia River Treaty needs to have enough flexibility to address climate and hydrologic change;
Fisheries, fish passage, and fish habitat must be enhanced throughout the Columbia River Basin (including the Okanagan River);
There is an opportunity to broaden discussions for an international agreement that covers the entire Columbia Basin, including the Okanagan and Similkameen River Basins, based on the successes achieved with other international agreements such as the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the recently concluded Northwest Territories-Alberta transboundary agreement on the Mackenzie River.
Panelists and convenors agreed that the current Treaty is likely too narrow a basis on which to govern an international river basin, and that therefore careful consideration of Columbia River Basin governance beyond the Treaty’s parameters will be key for all in the region going forward.
The consensus of workshop participants was that a neutral convenor, perhaps in the form of a new citizens coalition – could play a useful role in monitoring progress on treaty negotiations to ensure that the concerns and interests expressed today are respected and considered. A progress report on this initiative will be reported to a national CWRA meeting focusing on trans-boundary agreements in 2017.
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