Resources
News by Sector
Economy
Collaboration builds stronger, flood-resilient Township of Langley
Government Operations
Capital Regional District reports on grant funding for the Electoral Areas
Multiculturalism
Premier’s statement on Vaisakhi
Services
Capital Regional District reports on grant funding for the Electoral Areas
Columbia River Treaty
Edition:
Columbia River Treaty Review
The Columbia River Treaty is a trans-boundary water management agreement between the United States and Canada.
The Columbia River Treaty has no specified end date. Either Canada or the United States can unilaterally terminate most of the agreement provisions as early as September 16, 2024, provided they give at least 10 years’ notice.
The Canada-British Columbia Agreement (1963) transferred most Columbia River Treaty benefits, rights and obligations to the Province.
Government agencies in both Canada and the United States are examining future Columbia River Treaty options. Read more
B.C.'s View of Called Upon Flood Control After 2024
Under the Columbia River Treaty, Canada sold to the U.S. the right to assured annual flood control operation associated with 8.45 million acre-feet (Maf) of storage space in Canada (Primary Flood Control). This sale expires on 16 September 2024, the earliest possible unilateral termination date of the Treaty. After 2024, the Canadian flood control operations will be provided to the U.S. on a more limited ad hoc, or “Called Upon” basis, subject to the provisions described in the Treaty. The Treaty, however, only provides general principles and does not provide any detailed procedures for implementing “Called Upon” flood control.
BC Hydro has recently completed a paper entitled Canadian View of Columbia River Post-2024 Called Upon Procedures. The paper presents the Canadian view of the Treaty Called Upon provisions and general procedures for potential Called Upon operations. Read more
Treaty Review Youth Engagement Continues
During Columbia River Treaty community workshops in May/June 2012, Basin residents urged the Columbia River Treaty Review team to educate and engage youth on the Treaty Review. To encourage youth attendance at the November 2012 community workshops, the Columbia River Treaty Review Team provided information about the workshops to high schools and instructors at College of the Rockies and Selkirk College. Approximately twenty-five students from a college class attended one session, and overall about half a dozen high school students also attended sessions. The Treaty Review Team is now going to Basin youth to talk to them about the Columbia River Treaty and the Treaty Review. Read more
Columbia River Treaty Review Conferences in March
Dates, times and venues have now been set for the Columbia River Treaty conferences in March. In Golden, the conference will be held on March 20 at the Golden Civic Centre. It will be held on March 22 at the Sandman Hotel in Castlegar. The March 22 conference will also be live streamed. The conference will run from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with a Columbia River Treaty basics information session from 8:30 am – 9:00 am. Read more
November Community Consultation Sessions
In November 2012, the Provincial Columbia River Treaty Review team conducted workshops in eight communities in Phase 2 of consultations with Columbia Basin residents around the future of the Columbia River Treaty. At the workshops, the team asked for feedback from Columbia Basin residents about potential trade-offs between the identified local interests and potential future Treaty scenarios. Presentations and handouts provided during the community sessions as well as a summary of the feedback received from attendees are available. Read more
Treaty Review Question of the Month:
How do climate change considerations impact the Columbia River Treaty?
Over the past century all regions in British Columbia have been getting warmer so that today temperatures are an average 1.2 degrees Celsius warmer than they were last century. Similar warming is projected to continue over the next century, across all seasons and all regions. There will be more precipitation in winter, spring and fall, with most Upper Columbia watersheds seeing an increase in water supply. The snowmelt will start earlier, spring and early-summer flows will peak earlier and be substantially higher. As well, late-summer and early-fall flows will be substantially lower and last longer. Read more