About this episode

Jay White discusses his experiences with the Alberta Water Council and the Water for Life strategy.

The conversation is with Jay White, a professional biologist in Alberta, who recounts his long involvement with the Alberta Water Council and its origins in the early 2000s under the province’s Water for Life strategy. He explains how the Council was conceived as part of a “nested” governance model: the Alberta Water Council at the provincial policy level, watershed planning and advisory councils (WPACs) at the basin level, and local watershed stewardship groups doing on‑the‑ground work. White describes the Council’s multi‑stakeholder composition—environmental NGOs, industry sectors, governments at all levels, and First Nations—emphasizing that participants left sectoral identities at the door to work collaboratively on water issues in a non‑adversarial, confidential setting. Over 22–23 years, he moved from representing the Alberta Lake Management Society to chairing the NGO caucus and serving as vice president, and he still meets with former NGO colleagues despite the Council’s dissolution. White outlines the “ Water for Life ” strategy’s three pillars: * safe, secure drinking water, * healthy aquatic ecosystems, and * reliable water supplies for a sustainable economy. In its…

More episodes of The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy

• Water Agency Needed! · July 20, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Agriculture, Colonialism and Drought History in Western Canada · July 16, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Harley Bastien Fills the Gaps in My Thinking · July 12, 2026 · 54 min
• The Laws of the Land (Rerun) · July 9, 2026 · 52 min
• Plug-In Solar Power dot CA · June 28, 2026 · 16 min
• A Collective "Foot Down" with Public Interest Alberta · June 26, 2026 · 33 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Gravity Well with Jenny Yeremiy podcast page.