Released on April 16, 2019
Today, the Government of Saskatchewan, in partnership with Natural Resources Canada and the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA), announced $1.3 million in funding and in-kind support to help Saskatchewan producers and communities successfully manage the impacts of climate change.Natural Resources Canada pledged more than $587,000 through the Building Regional Adaptation Capacity and Expertise (BRACE) Program. The Government of Saskatchewan is providing $320,000, while the WSA along with partner organizations will contribute an additional $326,000 of in-kind support.
“The impacts of climate change are being felt across Canada, posing real risks to our communities, economy and environment,” said Federal Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet Sohi. “This is why we support projects such as these, which will help producers and communities increase their resilience to a changing climate.”
“Our government is pleased to support this important initiative that will help rural Saskatchewan better respond and adapt to the impacts of climate change,” Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency Dustin Duncan said. “Saskatchewan producers will be able to adopt best practices for agricultural water management as work continues on Prairie Resilience a made-in-Saskatchewan Climate Change Strategy.”
The funding will be used to deliver three projects. The first project will be for WSA and partner organizations to offer workshops for up to 2,500 agricultural producers over the next two years. These workshops will introduce producers to the Saskatchewan Agricultural Water Management Strategy and help them incorporate climate change considerations into the design of their agricultural drainage projects, making them more resilient to a changing climate.As part of the Agricultural Water Management Strategy, the province implemented new drainage regulations in 2015 that requires all agricultural landowners have a drainage approval for their drainage projects. This ensures that landowners can legally manage water on their land while addressing the impacts related to flooding, water quality and the environment.
The funding will also be used to allow WSA to increase its Qualified Persons (QPs) training program to build additional capacity in each region of the province. QPs work with landowners to help them effectively advance their drainage projects and assist with the approval process.
The third component of the funding will be used to work with communities, at high risk to hydrological drought, to develop drought response plans. The intent of these plans is to help communities become resilient to drought conditions by enabling them to consider existing hazards and vulnerabilities, and future climate change projections at a community level.
Natural Resources Canada’s BRACE program works with provinces to support training activities that increase the ability of organizations, professionals, businesses and communities to adapt and accelerate their climate resilience.
To learn more about the BRACE program, please visit www.nrcan.gc.ca/environment/impacts-adaptation/BRACE/21324.
For more information about the Agricultural Water Management Strategy, please visit www.wsask.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Patrick Boyle
Water Security Agency
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-694-8914
Email: Patrick.Boyle@wsask.ca
Cell: 306-631-6997
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
Phone: 343-292-6100
Email: NRCan.media_relations-media_relations.RNCan@canada.ca