The first World Water Day was designated as such by the UN in 1993 in recognition of the critical importance of freshwater. Since the earliest times, water systems have connected communities in multi-layered relationships that transcend physical, geographical and legislative boundaries. The 'Connecting Our Waters' event will consider the nature of that relationship in Alberta via two connected streams; the Indigenous communities who have a long historical relationship with the waters that are the lifeblood of these lands and the visitors who (in the words of Chief Harris) never left.
In 2007 the UN General Assembly ratified the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Mandated by the Federal Government of Canada in 2015, this signalled a radical repositioning of the relationship between the state and indigenous peoples. Confirmation of the critical importance of this relationship is explicitly underlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and affirmed by the Provincial Government and the City of Edmonton. We ask what new potential is opened up with respect to stewardship and governance of water in Alberta?'Connecting Our Waters' is part of an ongoing series of events hosted by the University of Alberta which explores the implications and potential in bringing together two widely diverse yet connected bodies of knowledge as we face an uncertain future.
Event title: Connecting Our Waters. A World Water Day Panel Discussion
Time: March 22nd, 2016, 6.30 - 9.00 pm
Location: Riverview Room, Shaw Conference Centre, 9797 Jasper Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 1N9
PANELISTS- Lisa Weber, Metis Barrister and Solicitor LLB, LLM
- Dr. Bob Sandford, EPCOR Chair for Water and Climate Security, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health
- Dr. Carl Mendoza, Professor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta
- Dr. Nicholas Ashbolt, Translational Health Chair in Water, University of Alberta
Registration through Eventbrite: https://connecting-our-waters.eventbrite.ca. This event is free and open to the public.
This panel is hosted by the KIAS-funded Intersections of Sustainability Research Network for Climate Change, Water Governance and the Futures of Communities, University of Alberta. For more information about the project see https://intersections.ualberta.ca/content/makere-stewart-harawira