Aboriginal Water Rights, Mining—And The Law & Order Theme Song

Normally reserved for major league baseball players as they enter the game to take the plate or the mound, lawyers are rarely introduced with walk-up songs. But at the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association’s 25th anniversary conference, the strains of Law & Order played as the legal panel on water rights made our way to the stage. We weren't quite the Toronto Blue Jays striding onto the field, but to us our discussion topics were no less important.

I moderated the panel, which addressed the Crown and Indigenous peoples’ water rights and how that right is affected during project development. Water is vital to life and regulation must ensure it exists for future generations. Regardless of who controls or regulates water, it must be treated as a public good.