Grant: Operating Grant: Population Health Intervention Research - LOI

For the first time in 12 years, the Alberta government is considering whether to update their water allocation system. Increasingly, it has become apparent that there are increasing demands for a resource that is dwindling due to industrial exploitation, population growth and climate change. Given the geographic and demographic realities of the province (approximately 80% of the population lives in southern Alberta, while 60% of the provinces water supply lies in the north), there is no question that the allocation of water resources, both in terms of ecological services as well as a fundamental necessity of life and food security, is becoming a critical political question for Alberta. Despite this political, economic and social importance, a key area that has not been assessed lies in the implications of both the current water system, and any reforms that are made to that system, in terms of health equity. This project proposes to evaluate the reform of water policy not from the standpoint of equity in terms of access to water, but rather the implications for health equity, and specifically the potential for significant inequities in the mental and physiological health of rural populations in the province.