Canada Alberta Northwest Territories Response To The Northern River Basins Study

The NTBS was designed to address the ecological concerns about pulp mill expansion, and to increase scientific knowledge about environmental conditions [ecology, ecosystem sustainability, water pollution and control, habitat, effect on fish and fishing, etc.] in the major river systems of the north. The study's objectives were to gather and interpret sound scientific information about the basins, develop appropriate recommendations for basin management, and communicate effectively with the public. The government response report confirms the governments' commitment to ecosystem sustainability and to pollution control in northern rivers. First Nations and Metis aboriginal [native] peoples contributed significantly to the NRBS.

Proposes principles and goals to act as a basis for designing the future management of the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave River basins, suggesting what kind of river system is wanted. Reviews models of other inter-jurisdictional bodies for managing resource issues and assesses their applicability for northern Alberta basin management; also discusses the role of science and monitoring of the basin ecosystem, the legislative and jurisdictional issues involved in water resource management, the role of the public and First Nations, and results of a stakeholder survey on the future of basin management. Finally, a new structure is proposed for managing the three basins, involving an inter-jurisdictional board and a separate and independent committee to oversee the stewardship of the management functions. The proposal is designed so that it could fit within the Transboundary Management Agreement for the Mackenzie River. The appendix contains a draft document of an Alberta-Northwest Territories Mackenzie headwaters management agreement.

Presents a synthesis of reports on the environmental and socio-economic characteristics of the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave river basins in northern Alberta. Includes information on basin hydrology, basin inhabitants, physiographic features (geology, soils, vegetation), climate and weather, fish and wildlife, land use (for urban development, agriculture, forestry, resource extraction, tourism, recreation, transportation, fishing, and hunting/trapping), water quality and quantity, and the jurisdictional framework for resource management in the basin area. The final chapter contains an outline of the history of the area and discussion of issues related to sustainable development in the basin area.

In order to assist the Northern River Basins Study Board to discern the attitudes and concerns of basin residents on water management issues and possible recommendations, the Board designed a five-step program to obtain the information. This report concerns the third step, the implementation of data gathering surveys. It describes the survey sample design and selection, questionnaire design, and implementation of a household survey. The study area consisted of 12 regions based on drainage patterns and telephone prefixes in the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave river basins in northern Alberta. Appendices contain the project terms of reference and a copy of the household survey questionnaire.

Can River Basin Organisations (RBOs) actually improve water governance? RBOs are frequently layered on top of existing governmental organisations, which are often reluctant to share their power. This, in turn, can affect their performance. The Politics