Thank you for your concise presentations.
I wish we had more time, as I have a lot of questions. I'll address them to all three of you, and I think you'll figure out who can answer what. I think you all talked about capacity in some way and how we're using that capacity and how we need to assess our water capacity. I'd be interested to hear a little bit more on how we're going about that and where we're at in that process, if we're indeed in it. What would you see as future pressures, once we know the capacity?
I think, Mr. Brooks, you talked about how we have lots of water, and that it's just an issue of how we're using it. I'm worried that when people hear that statement, they'll think, oh well, we're okay, and we don't have to worry about it. So I would like to explore how we get it in the public consciousness that it's not okay, and that we do have to conserve and use water wisely.
That leads into the long-range plan, and I think long-range planning is something we don't see enough of; we're always responding to crises. I'm interested in the long-range planning, and also in future water policy, once we know the capacity and start moving down a path to conserve water.
Also, there is the issue of impacts of climate change on our groundwater and on our wetlands. We're seeing wetter summers in some areas and drier summers in others. On the west coast, where I'm from, we've already had one forest fire on the west coast of the island, where it's supposed to be raining all the time. So there are some issues there that I think need to be addressed.
Also, someone talked about water as a human right, and I'd like to hear a little bit more about that, and also about the watershed boards.
I think you said, Ralph, that you'd like to see cross-border or interprovincial.... Who would be the stakeholders on those?
I'll leave it at that. Those are a lot of questions.