Chapter 1 Video: Water Scarcity in Vancouver

The clip discusses the issue of water scarcity in Vancouver, including the source of the city’s water and some of its capture systems. A more general discussion of the Canadian water supply is also included.

Highlighted Segment

• 15:52–19:11: Adrienne Arsenault’s interview with CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe

Suggested In-Class Discussion Questions

1. What threats are there to your local water supply? What efforts could you undertake to protect it?
2. How would your life change if water became scarce/rationed? What would you have to give up if water was rationed?
3. Is water an essential commodity? If so, should water be a public utility or a market commodity?
4. Over the course of history, people have fought over various resources—spices, land, precious metals, oil, etc. Will water be the next source of international conflict?
5. The five Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the global fresh water supply and are managed jointly by Canada and the US. Part of this agreement is that communities bordering the lakes may use water “solely for public water supply purposes” and no other water may be diverted from the lakes without approval by both states. Wisconsin has entered into agreements with private companies to use water from the Lake Michigan as part of their operations, even though the companies are located outside the basin. Should Great Lakes water—or water in general—be for sale? Do governments or corporations better protect exhaustible resources like water?

Suggested Assignment Questions

1. In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, experienced a severe drought, almost running out of potable water. To delay Day 0, the day on which water would no longer be available, officials in Cape Town instituted water rationing, limiting each person to 50 liters per day. Canadians, on average, use 250 liters of water per day. Plan a week of water usage under ration conditions.
2. There are 595 watersheds in Canada, according to the video. Identify your local watershed, threats to its continuance and efforts undertaken to protect it.