THUNDER BAY – Mayor Bill Mauro is making a case for Thunder Bay to host a new federal agency designed to put greater focus on protecting and managing Canada’s water resources.
Local leaders say Thunder Bay could be a natural fit for the Canada Water Agency, and tout potential economic benefits for the city.
There are no clear answers yet, however, on when or how the government will select a home for the organization – and the city will face competition.
This week, Mauro advised city council he intended to throw the city’s hat in the ring, saying he had reached out to local MPs for their support. Both said they’ll be happy to comply.
“Certainly I support it – it’d be great if we could have it here in Thunder Bay,” said Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski, saying it would bring jobs and spinoff benefits.
However, he cautioned plans were still in their infancy.
“It is too soon to decide on what the structure and mandate of the Canadian Water Agency will be or where it will be headquartered,” said Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Gabrielle Lamontagne in an email.
The government announced its intention to establish the agency in its 2020 throne speech, and has been conducting consultations on the shape it should take and priority issues it should address. The government budgeted $17 million over two years to support that work, Lamontagne noted.
Housed under Environment and Climate Change Canada, the agency would support ongoing research, monitoring, and policy work related to water management.
“I think it’s pretty exciting – the mandate of it is badly needed,” said Michael Rennie, a Lakehead University biology professor and aquatic researcher at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area.
Freshwater issues are challenging to manage because responsibility falls between numerous agencies at various levels, he said, from federal fisheries and environment ministries to provincially-legislated conservation authorities.
He hopes the agency will help shore up the knowledge base that informs policy.
“Industry is always one step ahead of considerations for the environment, I’ve found,” he said. “We come up with new [products]… and then it’s often several years after the fact when people start to ask, should we be worried about this stuff getting into the environment, and what are the potential impacts?”
Environment and Climate Change Canada said the agency will also help address growing challenges associated with climate change, like flooding, droughts, and algae.
“It is clear that the challenges to keeping Canada’s water safe and well managed are only growing as a result of climate change, and that how these challenges are felt is profoundly local,” said Lamontagne.
Thunder Bay is “uniquely situated” to host a water agency in many ways, said Rennie.
“I hadn’t thought about it, but as I mull it over in my head, I think there are a lot of reasons why it would actually make a whole lot of sense to put it here,” he said
“The easiest piece of that is we’re right here on Lake Superior, sort of at the headwater of the Great Lakes. We’re also very near the continental divide – where we are, all of the water flows into the Great Lakes, but a 45-minute drive outside of town, we’re into the Arctic watershed, where everything’s draining through Lake Winnipeg and up into the Nelson River and Hudson Bay.”
Thunder Bay’s proximity to the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) near Kenora, and the Large Lakes Observatory in Duluth, along with the presence of Lakehead University and its ties to the ELA, would all be assets, Rennie said.
Mauro suggested the presence of Confederation College, the Northern Ontario Policy Institute, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and Nishnawbe Aski Nation could also benefit the agency.
The mayor also highlighted the potential benefits for the community, aside from direct jobs.
“The City would be positioned to host conferences and events related to water quality, and I believe the research and development opportunities for the university, college, and local entrepreneurs would be substantial,” he wrote in a memo to council.
Powlowski said he’d work to keep Thunder Bay’s interest in hosting the agency on the radar of his Liberal caucus colleagues, noting he’d already spoken with Winnipeg MP Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary for environment and climate change.
He said while it remains early in the process, having local leaders speak up will help the city’s chances.
“In life, the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” he said. “So if there are a lot of people saying we want this in Thunder Bay and it’s getting publicity, then I think that helps move policy makers.”
“When they actually start looking for a place, if nobody knows Thunder Bay is interested, then obviously our chances I think are a lot smaller.”
Thunder Bay-Superior North MP and Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu expressed her own support in statement to TBNewswatch.
“As the process for the Canada Water Agency continues to unfold, I will share information as appropriate and will always champion this region through the avenues available to me,” she said.
“This could be an exciting opportunity for all levels of government, Indigenous leadership, and surrounding communities to highlight the number of attributes and features our region has to offer. I look forward to continuing discussions with Mayor Mauro and advocating for our region”
Thunder Bay is a late entrant in the unofficial race to host the new agency, with Sault Ste. Marie launching a spirited campaign last year and about a half dozen cities including Regina believed to have also expressed interest.
