Danielle Droitsch Served as Executive Director of Water Matters from its formal inception in 2007 to the end of March 2010. We asked for her thoughts about her tenure as she reflects on her time in Alberta.

Why Water Matters? What niche did you want to fill when you created this organization?

From 2004 to 2006, I was a Bow Riverkeeper. I saw there was a lack of a unified voice on provincial water issues. All the issues in the Bow were dictated less in the Bow and more so in Edmonton. So I spent most of my time on provincial water issues, working as chair of the Alberta Environmental Network Water Caucus and sitting on the Alberta Water Council.

Over time, it became clear that my passion for the Bow River watershed moved beyond the Bow to larger issues at a provincial level in other watersheds. I had a vision to create an organization whose full-time goal was to protect all watersheds in Alberta. So I gathered people who I felt were leaders — water leaders — and created a board, and together we started this organization.

What was the most difficult challenge you faced while at Water Matters?

Sometimes I see the multi-stakeholder process as fitting a square peg into a round hole. There's a tendency to jump to the multi-stakeholder tool as a fallback tool. I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours in multi-stakeholder processes. And I found the only thing we were doing was trying to get all these stakeholders to come together to agree on something. We would passionately argue our positions. But the problem was that this process took time, and getting everyone to agree on one thing is really difficult.  

Although the multi-stakeholder tool is very effective for some issues like the work of the Clean Air Strategic Alliance, this tool is not as effective for the Alberta Water Council. That isn't to say that the work of the Alberta Water Council hasn't been effective all the time. One good example would be the report from the Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity project team where a multi-stakeholder process worked. But in my view, one can get to the same goal without having to get industry and environment together.

What other tools exist?

After sitting in this multi-stakeholder world, I ultimately stopped to do a cost benefit analysis. For every hundred hours I spent in that process, I felt like I could do a lot more if I started to work with the people directly.

There is a huge difference between sitting around a table with the "elite stakeholders" and talking directly to the people. Those elite stakeholders don't represent Albertans; they represent their interests, and, in fairness, that included us.

So I asked, where are the Albertans? Where are they in this equation? That is the fundamental question the Alberta government should ask itself. At what point do you go to the Alberta public and express what you think? I think there is a bit of a feeling that the Albertan public doesn't understand the issues, and therefore the government shouldn't go to them. While there is some truth to the fact that not every Albertan is a water expert, this is not democratic.

Democracy means going to the public. You ask them what they think and develop good policy that implements what you hear. But right now, you have Water Matters and the oil industry duking it out when that might not be in the interest of all Albertans. The problem with the multi-stakeholder process is the tendency is to get 30 people around a table to hammer out a policy and then go to the public.

I think the real decision makers should be the Alberta public. So Water Matters shifted gears and went to the public, focusing on the government and the people. In some ways, we're almost doing a service for the government by providing information to Albertans, so they are more educated when called to give input to decision-making processes.

What Water Matters achievements do you want to make note of?

Water Matters is a young organization that only really started to operate in 2008. I have big dreams for Water Matters. We have become a credible voice for progressive choices. I think that increasingly the public and government will have to respond to the pressures about water.

We see gaps in the system. We know they're not being addressed. And I think that we have shaped the debate around water because before the focus was largely on the economy. Now the discussion is around social and ecological needs. For example, we have pointed out how the current water allocation system favours one user group — the senior rights holders.

What's your wish for this province?

As an American, I was really excited to come to Canada. In the United States, we have a two-party system with a huge range of Democrats and Republicans, but the public only has two choices. In Canada, there is a parliamentary system with more parties, and this implies more choices and robust debate. I was really excited to come to Alberta [she chuckles]. But when I arrived, I was disappointed. I was hoping the dominant party would be more open to ideas.

I wish the current government was more open for debate. If you talk to Albertans, they're proud to be innovators and leaders. But in terms in of water, we aren't.

How can Albertans show their support for Water Matters?

I would encourage Albertans to talk to the Alberta government. This is Alberta's water, and water decisions deserve the input of Albertans. One way to be a part of the solution is to learn about the upcoming water allocation review and participate in consultations.

Also Water Matters is planning to create a Friends of Water Matters. I see this network as a way for people interested in protecting Alberta's water to support our work, be more involved in our organization, and be kept up-to-date on important water issues.