Waterkeeper launches the Clean Water Primers
This week, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper released the first two books in a series of guides on water law in Canada and the Great Lakes. Called the "Clean Water Primers", Waterkeeper has been working on the series for two years and we plan to release more very soon.
Available today:
Primer #1: Taking water from the Great Lakes: a citizen's guide to the policies, rules, and procedures that protect Ontario's waterways This Primer provides a step-by-step guide to water-takings and diversions in Ontario. It helps readers comment on new water-takings, improve existing permits, and hold people and corporations accountable for taking water without proper permits. This Primer also provides an important context for people participating in the drafting and implementing of provincial and state regulations for Great Lakes water use.
Primer #2: An Introduction to Canadian Environmental Law and Tools This Primer was prepared specifically for use in Waterkeeper's Clean Water Workshop. It provides a brief introduction to environmental laws (such as the Fisheries Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act) and tools (such as judicial review). This Primer will remain in draft form until Summer 2007 so that students and Waterkeepers can offer suggestions for improvement. Clean Water Primer #2 provides a handy reference for anyone working on a number of environmental issues in Canada. This Primer is a reference guide to help you identify which federal laws and processes will help them protect local waterways. After a "test-run" in the 2006-2007 Clean Water Workshop, it will be dressed up and re-released as a finished Primer.
Coming soon ... Clean Water Primers on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, U.S. water-taking rules, Ontario laws and tools, and more!
The Clean Water Primers are available online or in print format at no charge. We welcome your feedback!