One commodity occupies a central place in the day-to-day lives of Canadians more than any other, and though it's assumed to be in unfettered abundance, water is a resource that cannot be taken for granted.
Over the next week, The Globe and Mail will examine the many challenges to Canada's watersheds. From the battle to preserve clean water in the Great Lakes, to the more than 100 boil-water advisories affecting First Nations communities, to large-scale projects that have sparked public outcry, policymakers face critical questions about the future of a resource we assume will always be available.
We will explore these questions in depth, consider what solutions technology offers, and report on what individual water users can do to make a difference.
Our series begins with a report from national correspondent Mark Hume, who asks what Canada's stewardship of water will look like in the coming years, after experts complained of neglect under the watch of the previous federal government:
Also from the series:
- Let’s make groundwater an issue of national security (Globe Debate)
- Unresolved water advisories creating ‘health emergency’ for First Nations (News)
- Water fight: Bottles, wells, big business (Report on Business)
- Ontario teen activist takes on the bottled water industry (News)
- Water scarcity poses economic and security threat around the world (News)
- Looking for leadership on water (Globe Debate)
- Calgary scientists create mini-worlds to test water-treatment strategies (News)
- Great Lakes are on the mend, but new threats loom (News)
- Vast, interconnected and stunningly beautiful: A view of Canada’s waterways (Map)
This series page, which can be accessed at tgam.ca/headwaters, will be updated all week with highlights from the project. In the meantime, enjoy a selection of features from our archives: