Fresh water is the basis of all life. In Canada, we have often taken water for granted, assuming its abundance. This sense of security is now threatened as more and more communities deal with devastating droughts, floods, fires and contaminated water. At POLIS, our work addresses the root causes of water sustainability problems. We look at how laws, policies, and governance (who makes decisions and how) need to change to ensure our rivers and streams can keep our land and people healthy, provide communities with greater influence over their watersheds, and respect Indigenous legal orders.