The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today announced that Canada and the United States will launch negotiations on May 29, to renew the Columbia River Treaty.

For more than 50 years, the Columbia River Treaty, an agreement on the management of shared water resources, has been a model of efficient work and cooperation benefiting both Canada and the United States.

The Government of Canada has been working closely with the Province of British Columbia, Columbia Basin First Nations, and local communities to ensure that all interests are heard, represented and addressed in these negotiations.

“Our objective in these negotiations is to ensure that the Columbia River Treaty continues to be mutually beneficial for both countries. We will also address environmental considerations and the interests of First Nations. I am confident that we will be able to renew this agreement for the 21st century,” Minister Freeland stated.

“The Columbia River Treaty is a model for Canada-U.S. co-operation in the Pacific Northwest, and we look forward to being at the table with the federal government in the upcoming negotiations with the United States,” said Katrine Conroy, B.C. Minister responsible for the Columbia River Treaty.

“The fundamental principle of the Columbia River Treaty must continue to be maximizing benefits for Canada and the U.S., and sharing them equitably. We want to continue our engagement with Columbia Basin First Nations in B.C., and ensure that local communities are kept informed, as negotiations progress.”

The Columbia River Treaty is a trans-boundary, water-management agreement between the United States and Canada, ratified in 1964. The treaty optimizes flood management and power generation, requiring co-ordinated operations of reservoirs and water flows for the Columbia River and Kootenay River, on both sides of the border.

In March 2014, following extensive First Nations consultation and community engagement, and after conducting a number of technical studies, the Government of British Columbia announced its decision to continue the treaty, and seek improvements within the existing framework. This decision is supported by the Government of Canada.

While the original Columbia River Treaty provided increased power generation and reliable flood protection, there have been many other benefits, particularly in the United States, such as water flows for fisheries, as well as navigation, irrigation and recreation, a federal government news release stated.

All commitments and financial returns pertaining to the treaty were assigned by Canada to British Columbia through the 1963 British Columbia-Canada agreement (and 1964 supplementary agreement). British Columbia has designated BC Hydro as the “Canadian entity” to deliver on the treaty’s river management terms.

Established in 1995, the Columbia Basin Trust came about due to the delivery of downstream benefits derived from the treaty in the USA, because large tracts of arable and forested land were flooded in B.C. (in the Columbia Basin), severely impacting (or flooding away) many communities.

Launched the provincial government with $321 million, the Trust has re-invested many millions of dollars into Columbia Basin communities and ecosystems.

Lead image: Lake Koocanusa in Montana and B.C. (and Libby Dam in Montana) is one of four reservoirs/dams covered under the treaty, along with Duncan Dam and Reservoir, Hugh Keenleyside Dam and Arrow Lakes Reservoir and Mica Dam and Kinsbasket Reservoir. e-KNOW file photo

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