Shared Waters and Shared Knowledge

Joseph Wasylycia–Leis | June 11, 2026

On April 29, during a time of national uncertainty and opportunity for conservation, the NCC River House became the backdrop for Shared Waters, a knowledge exchange workshop hosted by Oceans North in partnership with the Ottawa River Keeper and Northern Confluence. In this story, Senior Freshwater Campaigner Joseph Wasylycia-Leis walks us through the two-day event and shares insights on the outcomes of the gathering.

Completed in 1925, the National Capital Commission River House sits on stilts above Kichi Zībī (the Ottawa River), within the traditional territory of the Anishinābeg Algonquin Nation and surrounded by flowing water on all sides.

On April 29, this historic location became the backdrop for Shared Waters, a knowledge exchange workshop hosted by Oceans North in partnership with the Ottawa River Keeper and Northern Confluence. The gathering convened 40 Land Guardians, Riverkeepers, leaders from environmental organizations, and federal representatives, each of them working to advance aquatic and freshwater conservation in Canada in different ways.

This event came at a critical moment for Canadian watershed protection. Across the country, Indigenous communities and Land Guardians, Riverkeepers, conservation organizations and watershed coalitions are leading the effort to protect and steward Canada’s vast network of freshwater ecosystems. From coast to coast to coast, they are fighting to safeguard rivers, wetlands, estuaries and lakes with initiatives that rarely make national headlines.

In British Columbia, for example, Indigenous Nations and local organizations are working to protect critical salmon habitat in the Fraser and Skeena watersheds. On the East Coast, in Nova Scotia, community-led partnerships are responding to mounting pressures on Atlantic salmon rivers. And along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, efforts are underway to restore wild rice and revive one of North America’s largest freshwater wetlands.

While these grassroots initiatives take place, Canada continues to search for a comprehensive national approach to freshwater conservation. In recent months, the federal government has made commitments to this through national policies such as the Force of Nature strategy, announced in March 2026. How Canada plans to achieve these goals remains unclear, especially given a recently-released government plan which would weaken environmental protections and guardrails in order to fast-track “projects of national importance.”

In the wake of this decision, communities are prepared to drive freshwater conservation efforts in Canada. But will government policy, funding and regulation keep pace?

This was the question that hung over the Shared Waters workshop in Ottawa. Through thoughtful discussion, the event aimed to bridge this gap, providing a space for freshwater conservation leaders to share ideas, find a common sense of purpose, and identify strategic pathways for collaboration between government, communities and civil society.

Here’s how the day went.

Image – Participants attended the Shared Waters event from all over Canad.

Freshwater champions travelled to Ottawa from across Canada—from as far west as the Skeena River watershed in northern British Columbia, as far east as Cape Breton Island, and as far north as York Landing First Nation in northern Manitoba—to participate. Each person brought a deep understanding of the freshwater places they call home: their ecological value, their cultural significance, and the many pressures threatening their health and sustainability. They also brought a passion for freshwater stewardship and protection, along with a curiosity about how community-led aquatic conservation efforts are unfolding across the country.

Participants introduced themselves by sharing their connection to their home waters, revealing both the diversity of experiences in the room and of Canada’s freshwater places. The exercise also allowed participants to find common ground in their unique relationships to water and their collective desire to protect lakes, rivers, wetlands, and estuaries. It was an impactful start to a day of learning and meaningful conversation, as well as a reminder that we are all connected by shared waters.

Image – Shared Waters participants during the opening welcome circle at NCC River House, facilitated by Natalija Vojno of Our Living Waters.

Next, participants gave presentations showcasing unique freshwater areas across Canada and the community-driven efforts to monitor and protect them. The group learned about the St. Mary’s and Margaree, two important Atlantic salmon rivers in Nova Scotia, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members are working together to understand and address the impacts of climate change, industrial impacts, and invasive species on critical habitat and at-risk species. They also heard from Ottawa Riverkeeper about how hydroelectric dams disrupt aquatic habitat connectivity throughout the watershed, putting strain on important fish species such as lake sturgeon and American eel. A presentation on the Netley-Libau Marsh—North America’s largest freshwater coastal wetland—highlighted the efforts of Indigenous communities to re-establish wild rice and support studies on different techniques for restoring emergent vegetation.

Participants also learned how forestry and coal mining exploration is disrupting critical spawning grounds for endangered trout species, and how competing interests on a busy landscape can make building consensus for conservation difficult. Presentations on the Fraser and Skeena rivers in British Columbia highlighted the need to protect Pacific salmon spawning habitat and the role of Indigenous leadership in advancing new forms of protection. Finally, two youth Land Guardians from Poplar River First Nation spoke about how their work blends cultural and scientific knowledge while helping the community strengthen its connection to the land.

Image – Nikki Skuce, Director of North Confluence, delivers a presentation on the Heart of the Fraser Ecologically Significant Areas case study at Shared Waters.

Image – A graphic illustration depicting connections and common themes among the freshwater places featured at Shared Waters, produced by Laura Hanek of Swoop Media.

Several of these places presented are case studies for Ecologically Significant Areas (ESAs). Added to the Fisheries Act in 2013, an ESA is an area-based conservation tool to identify and conserve critical fish population areas and habitats. This model offers a pathway for protecting freshwater and nearshore ecosystems that are highly diverse, abundant, and productive in terms of fish and fish habitat, while also recognizing the cultural and economic importance of these areas. As examples of tentative ESAs, these case studies highlight the tool’s potential to create protections for a wide range of critically important freshwater areas through Indigenous-led and grassroots initiatives. Given that no ESAs have been established in Canada, imagining what this designation might look like in practice is an important exercise.

With representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Canada Water Agency in attendance, the morning presentations also served as a clear reminder to government that threats to aquatic systems must be addressed urgently, and that federal action and investment is essential to meet the efforts of on-the-ground freshwater conservation and stewardship.

The afternoon was dedicated to exploring challenges, gaps, and opportunities within Canada’s current aquatic conservation framework, area-based protection policy and regulatory regimes. Breakout groups focused on a range of topics, including types of area-based protections in Canada, the intersection of traditional knowledge and scientific data, government relations and community engagement, and the Force for Nature Strategy.

Image – Shared Waters participants engaged in breakout conversations focused on policy, freshwater conservation solutions and more.

Several clear themes emerged from these conversations. Participants emphasized that existing policy tools—including ESAs, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), Guardians programs, 30×30 conservation commitments, and Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs)—must be more fully leveraged to advance aquatic protection across Canada. However, participants also stressed that these tools will only be effective if they are backed by sustained funding, stronger enforcement, and practical pathways for implementation.

There was broad agreement among participants that scientific research and monitoring alone are not enough without strong governance and regulatory frameworks, meaningful relationship-building, and clear mechanisms for translating knowledge into action. Discussions also highlighted the many barriers facing aquatic conservation, including fragmented federal-provincial coordination, weak enforcement, and inconsistent funding. At the same time, participants noted that Indigenous harvesting, fishing, and land- and water-based activities create important opportunities for monitoring and co-management. Yet trust and long-term watershed protection continue to be undermined by past and ongoing harms, which have alienated many Indigenous communities from decision-making processes.

In the wake of the Shared Waters gathering, participants are now working together on a formal call-to-action directed at key federal ministers. Together, we are calling for the creation of new protected freshwater areas in priority watersheds across the country, along with a major increase in funding for Indigenous-led stewardship programs such as the Land Guardians initiative, beyond the limited resources outlined in the government’s new Force for Nature Strategy.

With the federal government proposing to weaken Canada’s environmental legal framework in the name of economic development, the timing of this message is critical.

The Shared Waters gathering reminds us that communities across the country care deeply about their waters, and that these communities hold the knowledge and leadership needed to protect critically important aquatic areas in ways that advance reconciliation and foster shared responsibility. The significant effort being expended by communities, Guardians and stewards has the potential to help Canada meet its conservation commitments. However, grassroots initiatives can only reach their full potential if there is also political will and direction for relevant departments and agencies to use the tools that exist and to adequately fund their implementation.

Communities are investing social capital to protect areas that are important to them, for food, cultural and livelihoods. Considering these ecosystems as important infrastructure and natural capital should be a government priority.

If governments can fast-track major development projects, they can also fast-track the protection of our most vital resource: the water that sustains us all.