Imagine wetlands as a savings account for Albertans that stores carbon and pays compound interest by storing, purifying, and filtering water.  According to a leaked draft obtained by the Sierra Club, Albertans may lose the benefits of maintaining wetlands because under the Government of Alberta's draft wetlands policy, Albertans not industry would pay the cost of restoring wetlands.

It does not have to be this way - a better policy already exists. Under a mandate from Alberta Environment, the Alberta Water Council (AWC) recommended wetlands be maintained intact or restored under a "no net loss" policy.^[i] The AWC recommendations ensured Alberta would maintain a similar level of wetland benefits, while the leaked draft document excepts large loss of wetlands with little restoration or compensation from the industries destroying the wetlands in the first place. The AWC recommendations had broad consensus from 23 of 25 sectors, based on broad consultations. The two industry holdouts were the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Alberta Chamber of Resources.^[ii]

Oil sands companies do not want to pay for wetlands because  "the costs of restoration could exceed billions."[iii] In the leaked draft wetlands policy, key protections have been either removed or undermined from the AWC Recommendations, providing savings to oil sands companies while leaving Albertan on the hook.

On Thursday May 13, 2010 Alberta Primetime hosted a great discussion on Alberta's long awaited wetland policy (Click here to view the discussion -  http://www.albertaprimetime.com/Default.aspx?FlashVars=Video/PTG_051310.flv).   During the piece, Albertans surveyed for comments surprised Alberta Primetime with informed views, showing just how much Albertans care about wetlands. More importantly, video comments showed strong support by Albertans for a better wetland policy.

To learn more about wetlands and the details of the leaked draft, please click here (link)

[i] Alberta Water Council, 2008. Recommendations for a New Wetland Policy, September 2008, http://www.albertawatercouncil.ca/Portals/0/pdfs/WPPT%20Policy%20web.pdf (accessed April 19, 2010).

[ii] Alberta Water Council, 2008. What We Heard Report-Wetland Policy Consultation Summary, September 2008, http://www.albertawatercouncil.ca/Portals/0/pdfs/WPPT%20What%20We%20Heard.pdf  (accessed April 19, 2010).

[iii] Alberta Water Council, 2008, Non-Consensus Letters, July 30, 2008, RE: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers http://www.albertawatercouncil.ca/Portals/0/pdfs/WPPT%20Non-consenus%20Letters.pdf (accessed April 19, 2010) p. 3.