Summary of Recent Canadian Research on Water Pricing
Canadian Water Policy Backgrounder 5
Across the country, there is a growing recognition of the immense value of water fuelled by concerns over potentially shrinking supply, growing demand and threats to water quality. This has led to an increased focus in the policy community on market-based mechanisms—specifically pricing—for effective water management and allocation. Attaching a price to, or charge for, water is seen by many as a powerful means to encourage conservation, reduce waste, limit demand and more efficiently allocate water resources among sectors of the economy.
Summary of Recent Canadian Research on Water Pricing reviews the emerging interest in water pricing, which includes discussions on the value of water, pricing in the municipal, commercial, industrial and agricultural sectors, and new research and policy initiatives.
The Canadian Water Policy Backgrounders are short documents providing basic information on Canada’s water resources. The series seeks to inform the debate over water pricing and set the stage for a consideration of pricing as a water resources management tool tailored to Canada’s unique waterscape. Titles in the series include:
- Water as a Policy Issue & the Water Pricing Project
- Canada’s Waterscape in Context
- Water Usage in Canada
- Water Management and Allocation in Canada
- Summary of Recent Canadian Research on Water Pricing
- Water Pricing
- Water Pricing Policy in Canada
- Water, Water Use and Water Pricing Around the World
- Water Pricing Aprroaches in the UK, Israel and Australia
The Canadian Water Policy Backgrounders are part of the Water Pricing: Seizing a Public Policy Dilemma by the Horns project.
Author: Casey Vander Ploeg