First in time, first in right

The idea of "first in time, first in right," is sort of like finders keepers. But with natural resources. And more specifically, water.

The idea first came from the Wyoming vs. Colorado U.S. Supreme Court case in 1936, and is a system of allocating water rights. It's not a new idea, but is one that has been working successfully in controlling the human use of natural fresh water resources.

In Alberta, a province that has only 2.2 per cent of Canada's fresh water, this is how the government is currently regulating the use of water by it's citizens. But now the Alberta government is considering moving to a deregulated province-wide market.

Because Alberta's in a water crisis? No.

Even though several Alberta counties declared states of emergency last year because of how dry their land was, draught isn't the reason the government is considering a switch in regulating water usage.

Alberta's population has experienced a steady climb in thanks to the booming job market. And while this has helped to put a strain on the water situation, this isn't the whole of it.

It's Alberta's growing industries that are the main cause of their impending water problem and the cause of much of Canada's carbon emissions. Oil, coal and agriculture are using more than 75 per cent of the province's fresh water. And using it at a rate so quickly that the province is working its way into a water crisis.

The deregulation that the Alberta government is considering means that big water-users will need a water license. These licenses can be bought, sold and traded. And considering all of the revenue created in Alberta's industries, the highest bidder of these licenses is not likely to be the average citizen.

Industry in Alberta is already using the majority of the province's water supply, and with this new water law, it looks like they're set to control what little fresh water there is left.