Examining the Potential for a Negotiated Approach to Water Management in Ontario: The Fanshawe Reservoir Enlargement Project

Authors

T. J. Carlisle, University of Waterloo
L. Graham Smith, The University of Western Ontario

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1989

Volume

14

Issue

4

Journal

Canadian Water Resources Journal

First Page

16

Last Page

34

URL with Digital Object Identifier

http://dx.doi.org/10.4296/cwrj1404016

Abstract

Water management in Ontario is characterized by a complex institutional arrangement. Overlapping jurisdictions and multiple mandates complicate the resolution of conflicts and disputes, making effective governance of water resources elusive. This paper examines the potential for a negotiated approach to water management in Ontario as a means to resolve the difficulties created by the existing, complex institutional arrangements.Following a brief review of the existing institutional arrangements, the nature of a negotiated approach to resources management is outlined. The potential for this approach for water management in Ontario is then examined through the use of a case study: the Fanshawe Reservoir Enlargement project in London, Ontario. Using extensive file materials and interviews with key participants as data sources, the paper describes the extended nature of planning and project approval that resulted from a lack of coordination amongst the management institutions concerned. The utility of a negotiated approach is examined using the case study to illustrate the flexibility and advantages of negotiation to expedite planning.