In 2000, Walkerton, Ontario, experienced a horrible tragedy. Seven people died and many people became ill due to contaminated water supplies. In response, the Province of Ontario enacted new drinking water legislation. Under the Clean Water Act, the primary mechanism for protecting drinking water sources is the source protection plan, designed by a committee of local representatives. The approach assumes broad agreement on values for water is achievable, even though complexity and variation in values occurs among numerous heterogeneous actors. This research examines the influence of values for water on source water protection governance in Eastern Ontario. To accomplish this, an evaluative framework was developed and applied to the Raisin-South Nation Source Water Protection Region. Analysis of data from key informant interviews and documents revealed the presence of a variety of values for water interacting with community components to influence the translation of actor-networks involved in water governance.

Climate change . Forest sector. Water. Canada . Ontario . Institutions . Adaptive capacity