Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
Thank you for embarking on a comprehensive study of the role of the federal government in protecting and managing Canada's freshwater resources.
In your collective role as the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, you have an opportunity to weigh the various responsibilities for freshwater protection and management throughout Canada.
In my role at Ottawa Riverkeeper, I have seen the challenges and benefits of working across jurisdictions at a watershed scale.
I am eager to share some of these experiences with you today, here on the unceded unsurrendered Anishinabe Algonquin territory.
Ottawa Riverkeeper is a charitable organization founded in 2001 and we are a champion for swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters throughout the Ottawa River watershed. Our mission is to protect, promote and improve the ecological health of the largest tributary of the St. Lawrence River, the formidable Ottawa River and its tributaries.
Over 23 years, Ottawa Riverkeeper has grown to become a trusted, independent voice for the protection of freshwater within the Ottawa River watershed.
We are a fully bilingual organization, and we use science-based decision-making to inform how and what we advocate for to protect the ecological health of the river, a river upon which so many of us depend.
Chances are that you are drinking tap water sourced from the Ottawa River today, yet the health of this river is threatened. As we have been told, pollution has no boundaries. Ottawa Riverkeeper has championed a multitude of issues afflicting our water, from microplastic to radioactive waste, from forever chemicals to sewer overflows and from invasive species to endangered species. We Canadians are polluting our waterways. You have an opportunity to fix this.
For Ottawa Riverkeeper, these examples highlight the importance of data collection throughout the watershed, and the data should be shared and analyzed on a watershed scale regardless of which province it is obtained from.
Ottawa Riverkeeper will soon be releasing its first watershed report card that benefited from a number of community-based monitoring programs and community scientists to help fill existing data gaps. We also analyzed publicly available data across the watershed. This report card provides a comprehensive look at the threats to the watershed on a watershed scale.
We look forward to Canada water agency's taking on an important leadership role in Canada to proactively address national and regional transboundary freshwater challenges and opportunities.
As we are fond of saying, you cannot protect half a river.
We would also like to highlight the value that watershed organizations like Ottawa Riverkeeper and those presenting here today can have when trying to address these challenges. Not only do many watershed organizations have a deep understanding of the issues affecting their regions, they often have networks that can provide localized data using a variety of cost-effective techniques. However, to remain effective, watershed organizations require long-term, consistent funding to operate.
Ottawa Riverkeeper has also submitted comments on a number of pollution issues, including reviewing the scope of the risk management for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, and for the development of a non-fuel radioactive waste management and decommissioning policy.
We look to you, members of this committee, to ensure that fresh water will be considered in a more holistic way throughout the development of national policies, not just as an afterthought once these policies have already been drafted.
The protection required for fresh water needs to be front and centre of national policies as well as global agreements.
Thank you for your time and your interest.