Environment committee  While we work on the Ottawa River, we work throughout the entire watershed, and many of the tributaries flow through some of these remote areas. Again, it's that idea of having equal access to accurate flood or drought warning systems that is really critical. Also, there is, of course, the impact of what's happening upstream or downstream.

Environment committee  I briefly want to say that another role of the Canadian government in this effort could be to ensure that every Canadian region has the same access to information, not just provinces that have more weather stations.

Environment committee  I don't believe we're familiar with the risk assessment that you spoke of. It's not something that we've responded to directly. It sounds like it would be an important step to be taking when trying to understand how to properly put in place flood forecasting. One thing that we have looked at is changes in flow and how flow is shifting in river systems, specifically the Ottawa River watershed.

Environment committee  I mean both. Both of them can be improved greatly.

Environment committee  If I could just jump in as well, another piece there is that after the 2019 floods, the Ontario government did a report on the flooding in both the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River and found that there were a number of different reasons why there were such enormous floods in that time.

Environment committee  There have been a lot of improvements from the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board in the communications it's putting forward. There was another heavy flow event in 2023, and there was much improved communication at that time. I think there has also been an awareness that's risen for the municipalities of their responsibilities to let residents know what is happening.

Environment committee  The federal government also has the capacity to support some of these initiatives. As we heard from the previous witnesses, there are a lot of great examples in different parts of the country, and having that communication from a national perspective will only help to improve models at a local level.

Environment committee  Specifically, with regard to subclause 3(3), we'd like to make the following recommendations. Ottawa Riverkeeper recommends that, in paragraph 3(3)(a), when considering “the application of novel technologies in forecasting floods and droughts”, it is critical to consider the impact on aquatic ecosystems and how to ensure that riverine environments are not adversely affected.

Environment committee  I just wanted to add something on the question about the usability of data. When government is collecting data from industry and they're required to report, why is it not a requirement to provide it in a digital format? They provide it in a paper format. It renders it basically useless.

Environment committee  If I understand the question correctly—

Environment committee  There are many different parts of the CNSC to do its work. There are many different projects that it is overseeing. It is a regulator. It reports to a minister for its decisions and whatnot. It's really challenging to understand how some of these decisions are made based on the lack of transparency on how the process happens.

Environment committee  When a project is proposed, we focus primarily on its effects on freshwater, especially on the Ottawa River. I can talk a bit more about what we can do to improve the situation. With the new radioactive waste policy that is coming into play, I think there's a lot of room for improvement for these types of policies to be able to provide the correct oversight.

Environment committee  Yes, very much so.

Environment committee  I would just quickly add that so far, what we've heard about the Canada water agency is this emphasis on government and academic relationships in solving many of these questions that have to do with fresh water. Again, I would just like to highlight the value that watershed organizations can bring to these conversations, and highlight localized issues.

Environment committee  I would be happy to jump in on that one.