Last Thursday, I took part in the House of Commons Environment Committee hearings into Canada’s freshwater resources. Appearing before us were representatives from Health Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Global Affairs Canada. As you can imagine, the issue of freshwater resources is an immense and complicated—but extraordinarily important—subject, so the conversation was lively and illuminating. Indigenous Services officials were, of course, asked why there were still 28 First Nations communities with boil-water advisories eight years after the government promised to fix the huge problem of neglect they found when taking office. Most of these problems go back much further than eight years. For example, the Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario has been on a boil water advisory since 1995. While some of these situations face jurisdictional and engineering challenges, we can all agree they would have been fixed much more quickly in non-indigenous communities.
New irrigation research helping Island farmers save their crops — and water
New research being spearheaded out of P.E.I. is helping Island farmers make better decisions around when to irrigate their crops — and some say it could not come at a better time. Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have been working on a formula to calculate when to irrigate and how much water to use. The result is a new, online irrigation calculator that's accessible to farmers.
Government of Canada moves forward on federal pesticide commitments
Today, Health Canada, along with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), announced the next steps toward a sustainable approach to pesticides management in Canada. Establishing Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) is one component of Health Canada’s rigorous pesticide risk assessment process. Health Canada scientists consider information from all available scientific studies and conduct a dietary risk assessment before they set MRLs.
Consultations for Sustainable Agriculture Strategy launched
Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has launched consultations focused on developing a Sustainable Agriculture Strategy that will support the livelihood fo farmers while growing a sustainable sector. She says the Strategy will focus on five key areas - soil health, climate adaptation and resilience, water, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity.
Living lab will see First Nations and farmers collaborate to do work in range of areas
Saskatchewan will be home to the first Indigenous led living lab in Canada. In a media release sent out out Friday the establishment of the Bridge to Land Water Sky was announced. The prject will be led by Mistawasis Nêhiyawak and will also include Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan Aboriginal Land Technicians, North Saskatchewan River Basin Council, Redberry Lake Biosphere Region, the University of Saskatchewan and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
After weeks of moisture, drought conditions ease in parts of Prairies
Steve Donald has one word to sum up the current condition of his southeast Saskatchewan farmyard: "Muck." The 42-year-old grain and cattle farmer near Moosomin, Sask. — just over 200 kilometres east of Regina — says repeated spring snowstorms have delayed seeding on his land. But he's optimistic the extra moisture will provide adequate feed and water for his cattle, and better growing conditions.
Severity and sweep of Prairie droughts could spiral as climate changes
Climate change will profoundly affect our water supply as summers grow hotter and winters shorter. While precipitation is predicted to increase overall, so will the duration and severity of droughts. The good news is that over the last century our ability to deal with drought conditions has improved. Crop types, tillage, even the timing of fertilizers can help plants get the moisture they need.