Alberta Coalition for Watershed Security: Flowing from vision to action
The Alberta Coalition for Watershed Security (the Coalition), steered by Alberta Ecotrust, has taken thoughtful, practical steps toward strengthening long-term water stewardship in our province.
We want to start by acknowledging and celebrating the decades of dedication, collaboration and leadership advancing watershed health and security in Alberta by Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous-led organizations, watershed stewardship organizations, Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils, the Alberta Water Council, and many others. The Coalition is meant to support this work and contribute to the ecosystem by addressing gaps and collaborating with existing efforts and voices.
The Coalition’s efforts to date have centred on four strategic objectives: Sustaining investment in watershed resilience, building the framework for a province-wide Coalition, strengthening government relations capacity across the environmental sector, and laying the groundwork for increased investments in watershed security.
Supporting continued investment in watershed resilience
A key early focus of the Coalition’s efforts has been to champion the continuation of the Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program (WRRP), a provincial program that supports natural infrastructure projects that reduce flood and drought risk.
Throughout 2025, the Coalition met with provincial leaders, generated letters of support from elected officials and mayors, industry, and municipalities, and submitted a pre-budget case for the continuation of WRRP funding to the Government of Alberta.
Following the release of Alberta’s provincial budget on February 26th, the Coalition is collaborating to better understand how current allocations support natural infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The WRRP has played a significant role in enabling critical watershed stewardship and restoration projects that build community resilience and deliver essential environmental and economic benefits.
Through these efforts, our approach to government relations has been guided by systems-level thinking and long-term solutions, rather than issue-based advocacy. Our engagement is strategic, evidence-informed and aligned with government priorities grounded in practical recommendations that support shared provincial outcomes. We focus on diplomacy, reflecting our role as a convener of diverse voices across Alberta’s watershed community.
Establishing a framework for the Coalition
In May 2025, Alberta Ecotrust convened water, land and watershed-focused organizations for a facilitated visioning session to explore the purpose, scope and governance structure of the Coalition.
By November 2025, we publicly launched the Coalition, marking an important step in communicating its purpose publicly and supporting broader engagement. Since then, we’ve seen strong early interest from organizations across sectors. More than 20 organizations reached out following the launch, and over 25 introductory meetings have been held, with additional conversations ongoing. These discussions have translated into concrete commitments:
Seven organizations have formally joined the Steering Committee, with a target of 10–12 members.
Five organizations have joined as Coalition members, with no cap on overall membership.
An additional ten organizations are awaiting confirmation following introductory meetings.
This early engagement reflects healthy momentum and a growing and diverse network of partners aligned around a shared vision for long-term watershed security in Alberta.
Strengthening government relationship building in the environmental sector
To support government relations capacity building, Alberta Ecotrust hosted its first government relations workshop during our Environmental Gathering in May 2025, titled Power, People and Policy: Demystifying Government Relations. The session introduced practical tools for engaging with government and sparked important conversations about the role of relationship-building in advancing watershed security. See our previous blog about the workshops' learnings here.
Building on this foundation, two additional sessions were delivered as part of a virtual series in Fall 2025, expanding access for organizations across the province. These sessions were developed and led in partnership with Counsel Public Affairs, ensuring content was practical, evidence-informed and centred around Alberta’s policy landscape.
Participants reported increased confidence in applying government engagement tools and in communicating key messages to decision-makers. Collectively, the training strengthened participants' readiness to engage in coordinated, solutions-focused government relations and supported more consistent, constructive efforts across Alberta’s environmental ecosystem.
Laying the groundwork for sustainable investments in watershed security
In February 2026, we posted a Request for Proposals to develop three complementary research resources to inform strategy, government relations and long-term investment. These resources include:
Ecosystem overview, gap and opportunity analysis: A comprehensive stocktaking of existing work in the watershed and water sector since the establishment of Water for Life in 2003. This resource will identify strengths, gaps, risks and opportunities, and provide a clear roadmap to guide future strategy, government relations and investment.
Building resilience: Impacts of watershed and natural infrastructure investments report: A synthesis of key outcomes from natural infrastructure and watershed investments in Alberta from 2014 to the present. Building on existing Alberta work, the report will articulate the environment, social, economic, climate resilience, and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples outcomes associated with watershed investments.
Case for a sustainable watershed security fund in Alberta: A paper presenting a concrete, actionable case for establishing a fund in Alberta. Drawing on existing research, the Alberta context and relevant examples from other jurisdictions, the paper will outline why a dedicated, long-term funding mechanism is needed and how it could be structured to support watershed security, climate resilience, reconciliation and community economic and social well-being.
Together, these resources will form a robust evidence base to inform the design of sustainable investments and guide engagement with governments, funders and partners. The proposed investments are intended to complement—not replace—existing programs, helping ensure sustained, coordinated support for critical watershed initiatives.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next?
Our efforts have focused on building a strong foundation. Looking forward, the Coalition is turning its attention to growth, deeper engagement, and lasting impact.
Winter 2026: Continuing to build the foundation
Develop research resources to support strategy, government relations and long-term investment.
Continue to build and strengthen relationships with First Nations and Métis communities across Alberta, and with Indigenous-led organizations, to understand how we can work together and collaborate towards watershed security.
Continue engagement with municipalities, watershed groups, environmental organizations, industry and academic partners to expand our steering committee, knowledge council and broader membership, ensuring the Coalition represents voices from across the province.
Spring–Summer 2026: Strengthening connections
Ongoing coalition development and government engagement in preparation for the next provincial election, ensuring water security remains a priority on Alberta’s political agenda.
Participation in events and National forums to exchange ideas and highlight Alberta’s commitment to nature-based solutions that protect communities, ecosystems and economies.
Fall 2026: Strategic planning
Advance a strong water security agenda in the lead-up to the next provincial election.
Lead strategic planning with the steering committee and knowledge council to identify priority tasks, next steps and longevity.
Join the conversation
We welcome your questions and conversation about the Coalition’s work and future plans. By working together, we can build stronger watershed security for Alberta.
Fill out an intake form on our website or reach out directly by emailing Breanna at connect@albertawatershedsecurity.ca
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