By Rachel Maclean
The Eagle
Preston Manning thinks Alberta should start paying for its water.
The former leader of the Reform Party of Canada, who is now president of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, made the comment to the press after his speech to a packed Cochrane RancheHouse theatre May 20 at the Pathways 2 Sustainability conference.
“We should measure and meter every drop of water used in this province,” said Manning.
He said sadly the only way to get people to care about conserving water and protecting watersheds is to attach a price tag.
“We should let people know it is not unlimited and it is not free,” he said.
Manning said he realizes that it will be an issue of equality for disadvantaged people, but he said a simple solution would be to research how much water people use on average and have a base number that is free to everyone for basic needs. The charge would be to deter people from using excessive amounts of water.
When asked his opinion if water should be considered a fundamental right, Manning said Albertans could run out, so for everyone’s sake we have to think about the future.
“Because it is a fundamental right it should be priced,” said Manning. “You can’t afford not to.”
He said water is the most important issue in Alberta, but he is wary whether the province’s new Land Use Framework will help.
“I think the intent is right there . . . but is it really going to be practically applied?” asked Manning.
While a great idea, in the future he foresees problems with property rights and getting people on board with the environment.
“Economic development cannot proceed without the involvement of environmental impact,” said Manning, adding if resources are destroyed what economy will be left. “Companies need to realize that.”
But Manning mostly talked about how to get people involved in a cause, or “grassroots democracy.”
He was able to share how to get citizens engaged with politicians and environmental organizations from across the province, and he thinks sustainability is “the right theme at the right time in the right province.”
He said Alberta’s political history has had long reigns of the same party, but it is interspersed with intense periods of upheaval and change sparked by a big concern.
Manning said by starting with something negative that people are worried about it can shock people into action. He said water is the mobilizing issue in Alberta.
“What if you turned on the tap and nothing came out,” Manning gave as an example.
Sustainability definitions were a key part of another keynote speaker, Don Hill, from the Banff Centre’s Leadership Development.
He contacted over 100 leaders across Canada to ask, “What do you mean by sustainability,” and received a variety of answers.
Hill said the best thing to keep in mind is how to be sustainable where you live. For example, energy sustainability, or “living within one’s means,” can be better achieved by solar panels in sunny California than in rainy, cloudy Vancouver.
Keynote speaker Mark Anielski, the author of The Economics of Happiness, took sustainability one step further — it should be about the community’s total well-being, including citizens’ happiness.
He talked about how people, jobs, social events, the environment, finances are five assets of genuine wealth that need to be thought of as a whole to be sustainable.
“Get in touch with your own sense of well-being and live your life with purpose,” said Anielski. “Sustainability is about living within your means . . . and the joy of moderation.”
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