Water permitting systems are experiencing growing pressures in many groundwater-dependent regions. In the past 10 years, many provinces and territories have updated their permitting systems through changes in laws, regulations, strategies, and/or policies governing access to groundwater. These reforms respond to a mixture of factors, including unlicenced wells, droughts and climate change, and impacts of groundwater development on aquatic ecosystems, which intersect with ongoing processes of reconciliation with Indigenous Nations. This session provides an overview of the shifting governance landscape for permitting and protecting groundwater resources, drawing on the preliminary findings from a synthesis report commissioned by the Gordon Foundation. The first part of the session will provide an overview of key trends in groundwater governance from private wells to transboundary issues with an emphasis on permitting groundwater, the evolving federal landscape, and progress toward fulfilling the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in the context of groundwater. The second part of the session will feature a facilitated dialogue among report contributors, including several practitioners at the leading edge of these permitting reform efforts. Key themes and discussion points will include: (1) Why and how are permitting systems being reformed; (2) How are permitting systems dealing with shortages and environmental flows?; (3) How can federal coordination and investment support reforms and implementation, including, but not limited to, monitoring and aquifer mapping?; and (4) How are permitting systems contributing to (or hindering) the fulfillment of UNDRIP, including the duty to consult, creation of groundwater reserves, and the integration of groundwater into modern treaties. The session will involve the audience in an active dialogue and seeks to strengthen existing communities of research and practice related to the science and policy of groundwater permitting.

This session will be a discussion panel from 10:30 am - 12:00 noon.