Whereas the Province of British Columbia has limited funding available for watershed protection, while water is the most critical resource that requires protection and long-term stewardship; And whereas British Columbia currently has the lowest industrial water rates in Canada, which have not been updated in over a decade; And whereas aligning industrial water rates with those of other provinces could generate significant new revenue, 38 million if aligned with Saskatchewan, 84 million if aligned with Quebec, or up to 357 million if aligned with Nova Scotia; And whereas this additional revenue could be directed to watershed protection, helping to address critical funding gaps during a challenging fiscal period: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to modernize industrial water rates by bringing them in line with those of other provinces and dedicate the resulting revenue to watershed protection.
