Jeremy J Schmidt, University of Western Ontario, Geography, jschmi7@uwo.ca
Abstract
The Canadian province of Alberta inaugurated a shift towards adaptive, multi-level governance under its 2003 Water for Life strategy for sustainability. The strategy now coordinates a three-tier governance system comprised of a provincial Water Council, regional Water Planning and Advisory Councils (WPAC) and the recognition of local water stewardship groups. Based on semi-structured interviews with governance practitioners and analysis of the provincial water strategy this research shows how the transition to multi-level governance has, and still is, occurring. Because Alberta is home to some of the world's largest unconventional oil deposits (the Tar Sands), special focus is given to the implementation challenges in jurisdictions where reductions in state-led governance create difficulties for mediating different agendas and for generating consensus. It identifies and considers the political implications of the 'ethic of transition' in the institutional procedures employed for implementing multi-level water governance.
Keywords: ethic, transition, adaptation