H3-How can we utilize water resources to create sustainable, environmental economies?

opening comments from Bob Goulais (UOI)
- for the Anishnawbe water is the lifeblood; we are mostly made of water; freshwater is necessary for the sustenance of our life; all of our natural resource need to be a part of our future economies; always the question of using water without risking the quality or quantity and without commodifying it
- GLCA ban exports; GLSTLWSBA ratified by the americans last year - enforced to ban exports and commercial diversions from the great lakes
- constant monitoring of agreements and the activities that arise from them
- aquaculture; marketable products from water
    - fish farms; mostly land based; water-based raise issues for the water itself
- bottled water!! continues to be exempt under the above agreement because it is exportable in small containers; Nestle waters have number of brands for cheap - not much of a fee to generate the product
- environmental aspects; need to protect at all costs
- women as keepers/protectors, traditional roles

- hydroelectricity: intrusive hydro development (daming) effects flow; nonevasive hydro projects - run of the river technologies (green alternative power processes); diversions (hybrid between the two)
- freshwater shrimp viable for FN communities
- women's water commission: guide direction of projects; capacity limits the ability to study the impacts and effects; going to traditional base is policy of Anishinabek Nation
- two views (government / First Nations): protection in name of revenue vs. protect in the name of survival
- comanagement (last 10 years) definition: recognize government has responsibility to protect on behalf of their citizens (goes the same for FN but very different) - economy is the main government driver; for FN it's the environment and sustainability that drives us; balance between the two and needs to be recognized and studied by government
- if FN were to be the stewards of the resources we could be more confident that they would be protected and healthy; probably wouldn't be in the state we're in if this had been done along time ago.
- teachings have taught: there will be a time when Anishinawbe would be cast away and forgotten alot of the ways; the settlers would disregard the knoweldge. but sometime the environment would need to know those teachings again, need the restoration of the earth and water; visitors will come and ask to help; its coming true - starting to see the demand for ATK; UOI proposal for centre of indigenous knowledge for the G8 meeting in Huntsville - sharing knowledge, spreading the word
- cranberries are a successful example; wild rice- not easy in urban centres; traditional "waterfoods"
- take initiative to find partnerships - capture opportunities; community needs to market the ideas - create a market
- community decisions; commercial aquaculture operations are either consented to or not; potential threats can be balanced
    - Arctic Char good example; good commodity shared by Inuit and northerners
    - Miminiska territory and salmon - values are at the forefront; educate the people on cultural values
- catching fish every day; grow things commercially to balance out traditional stocks; right to fish - without barriers, if fish farms will protect stocks then the traditional fishing will also be protected
    - what about having non-Anishnawbe licensing applicable to reserve/traditional lands?
- Lake Nippissing - opened a market in North Bay selling fish; which is monitored, maintained, sustained by the people/community
- protection of water defines the community; gives the community pride because they stood up and took their right to manage Lake Nippissing sustainably and responsibly; forced the MNR to work with the community and participate and engage in discussions; good example of comanagement
- values and responsibilities; water is a sensitive issue for Anishinawbe; balance; lifestyle/way of life
- freshwater is abundant in canada; FN need to be helped to keep this resource
- bottled water; no accountability
    - banning: encouraging use of municipal water; why drink bottled water?
- quality of canada water better than the States (quantity too)
- MOE looks at individual projects as polluters but not cumulatively; don't stop development of the projects; if FN become involved - perspective changes which would highlight the problems
- traditional values need to be incorporated into treatment process
- force companies to put money into pollution; by protecting the water you're protecting the economy; cost of pollution equals the cost of the resource
- government regulation needs to be monitored and transparent
- modernizing mining act: first nation environmental commissioner - broaden this function would be equal to the ministry's environment commissioner; someone with equal respect
- start a committee open to anyone; everyone apart of the accountability and responsibility for everyone's values (canada and first nations)
- water is a very localized value; need to speak and act to continually remind the municipality about concerns
- look and support conservation initiatives; MOE water conservation program over the next few years - how water can be recycled at industry and community level;
-LEEDS centre using greywater and reusing water; bring back to reserves would be good for sustaining livelihood; comes back full circle
- hydroelectric development, thoughts on use:
        - low factor on environmental lists because of low gas emissions; positive in a sense; negatives - flow changes
- recycling water to create electricity (is it being done?); kakabeka?

values need to balance economic interests; FN values can be shared - need to be shared; respect for the water!!