I’m Leo Wiltshire, a recent graduate from the University of Toronto, and I joined the Geopolitics, Territory & Security Programme (now called Geopolitics, Resources & Territory) at King’s because I wanted a program that took an interdisciplinary and legal focus to the study of international relations. I’m happy to be in an environment where I can study the geopolitics of natural resource disputes, particularly transboundary water disputes between countries.
As a Canadian, I am aware that water scarcity and insecurity is not absent in my own country. Many low-income areas, let alone Indigenous reserves across Canada, suffer from water contamination and insufficient sewage systems. Boil water advisories are common in communities that are heavily racialized, and man-made as well as natural beaches occasionally need to be evacuated due to lead, e coli, or other contaminants. Studying water is incredibly important because it is a building block for any city. Oil is necessary for industrialized societies, but water is necessary for all societies.
I look forward to writing my upcoming dissertation on the Canadian Federal government and its criminal jurisdiction in Arctic waters. Grounded in international and constitutional law, my paper will address Ottawa’s ability to prevent and punish private corporations who do not follow environmental and maritime regulations.