Canadians Ready for Water Infrastructure Investment, and Natural Infrastructure Has a Key Role

The report details a national survey of 2,219 Canadians showing strong public demand for urgent government action on water infrastructure, with 72.5% viewing it as an urgent priority. While awareness of the term 'natural infrastructure' is low (47% have not heard it), there is high support (71.1%) for its implementation as a cost-effective alternative or supplement to grey infrastructure. The findings highlight significant regional disparities, such as high rates of water main breaks in the Prairies and seasonal shortages in British Columbia, and underscore a persistent infrastructure gap for Indigenous communities who experience disproportionately higher rates of boil-water advisories and water shortages.

• A significant majority of Canadians perceive an urgent need for government intervention in water infrastructure, with 72.5% stating that governments should act on water infrastructure. This urgency is particularly pronounced among women, with 78.1% viewing it as urgent compared to 66.5% of men.
• Canadians are increasingly experiencing direct impacts from water-related issues, with 63.8% reporting such issues in the last five years. The most frequent problems include street or yard flooding (25.7%), seasonal water shortages (22.0%), and water main breaks (17.1%). Over half of the population (53.6%) believe these problems are occurring more frequently than they did 10 years ago.
• There is strong public support for natural infrastructure as a solution, with 71.1% of respondents identifying its planning and implementation as an urgent priority. While 47% of Canadians are unfamiliar with the term, those who support it cite lower costs and savings (23.4%) and environmental protection (12.8%) as primary benefits. Furthermore, 67.6% of Canadians would view elected officials more positively for supporting natural infrastructure.
• Preferred funding mechanisms for natural infrastructure projects center on public grants and budget reallocation, with 53.5% supporting provincial or federal grants and 41.6% supporting the reallocation of existing municipal spending.
• Indigenous respondents experience a disproportionate water infrastructure deficit compared to non-Indigenous Canadians, reporting higher rates of seasonal water shortages (30.0% vs 21.8%), boil-water advisories (21.0% vs 11.9%), and associated health impacts (10.4% vs 4.4%).
• Water infrastructure challenges vary significantly by region: the Prairies report the highest rate of water main breaks (33.2%), British Columbia reports the highest rate of seasonal water shortages (52%), and Quebec reports the highest rate of boil-water advisories (24%).

APA

Puzyreva, M., Duncan, J., Kiwan, P., Albert, V., & Nanos, N. (2026). Canadians Ready for Water Infrastructure Investment, and Natural Infrastructure Has a Key Role. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-07/canada-water-infrastructure-investment.pdf

Chicago

Puzyreva, Marina, Justin Duncan, Petra Kiwan, Vanessa Albert, and Nik Nanos. Canadians Ready for Water Infrastructure Investment, and Natural Infrastructure Has a Key Role. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-07/canada-water-infrastructure-investment.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puzyreva |first1=Marina |last2=Duncan |first2=Justin |last3=Kiwan |first3=Petra |last4=Albert |first4=Vanessa |last5=Nanos |first5=Nik |title=Canadians Ready for Water Infrastructure Investment, and Natural Infrastructure Has a Key Role |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=July 2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-07/canada-water-infrastructure-investment.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puzyreva2026canadians, author = {Puzyreva, Marina and Duncan, Justin and Kiwan, Petra and Albert, Vanessa and Nanos, Nik}, title = {{Canadians Ready for Water Infrastructure Investment, and Natural Infrastructure Has a Key Role}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-07/canada-water-infrastructure-investment.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }