Canadian Water Network

Join us for the second webinar in our Wastewater Process Emissions Series!

We’re excited to announce the next installment of our four-part Wastewater Process Emissions Webcast Series. Our next webcast focuses on methane (CH4) emissions from wastewater treatment, sewers and anaerobic digestion processes.

📅 Date: September 19, 2024

🕒 Time: 3:00 PM

The webcast will explore the mechanisms of CH4 formation and the conditions and practices that increase emissions. It will also cover leading practices for directly measuring methane, enhancing understanding and control over this potent greenhouse gas.

Register now: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1678637&tp_key=4c5a4c67d8

Les praticiens et les agences de santé publique utilisent la surveillance des eaux usées (SEU) dans les collectivités partout au Canada. Cela inclut les communautés éloignées, comme la région du Nunavik dans le nord du Québec, où l’on étudie les moyens d’intégrer ce processus de collecte de données dans leurs systèmes.

En novembre 2002 la Régie régionale de la santé et des services sociaux du Nunavik et l’Université d’Ottawa ont entrepris un projet pilote de SEU dans le village de Kuujjuaq. Nous avons élaboré un exemple de cas qui présente comment le programme de SEU a été mis en place à Kuujjuaq et les leçons apprises en cours de route.

Cliquez ici pour lire le document complet :https://cwn-rce.ca/wp-content/uploads/NUNAVI1-1.pdf

Nous sommes ravis de lancer le nouveau plan stratégique du RCE pour la période 2024-2029. Ce plan est conçu pour nous aider à faciliter la collaboration intersectorielle afin de relever les défis et les opportunités liés à l'eau qui affectent nos communautés, notre santé et notre climat. Consultez le plan complet ici : https://cwn-rce.ca/fr/plan-strategique/

We are thrilled to launch CWN’s new strategic plan for 2024 to 2029. This plan is designed to help us facilitate cross-sector collaboration to address water challenges and opportunities that affect our communities, health and climate. View the full plan here: https://cwn-rce.ca/strategic-plan/

If you are attending the International Water Association's World Water Congress & Exhibition in Toronto this August, we invite you to join us at our Business Forum.

The forum will bring together Dr. Milou Dingemans and Dr. Niladri Basu with our CEO, Nicola Crawhall. They will discuss new methods for assessing chemicals in water that are revolutionizing our understanding of human health impacts and their relevance to chemical assessment, both in Canada and internationally.

Learn more: https://cwn-rce.createsend.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/FA82E8B79814AA852540EF23F30FEDED/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

This first webcast in the Wastewater Process Emissions Webcast Series will provide an introduction to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in wastewater treatment. It will focus on various emission sources, the pathways and process conditions that lead to emissions, and quantification and measurement techniques.

Presenters will identify and explain the significance of various sources and pathways of GHG emissions at wastewater treatment facilities. They will also explore basic techniques for measuring and quantifying GHG emissions at wastewater treatment facilities.

The webcast will be moderated by Harry Zhang, research program manager for integrated water and stormwater at The Water Research Foundation. Presenters include:

· David Ponder (Director of climate action at the US Water Alliance).
· Amanda Lake (Head of carbon and circular economy – Water Europe at Jacobs).
· John Willis (Vice president at Brown and Caldwell).

Learn more: https://cwn-rce.createsend.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/886AED5CE98E79222540EF23F30FEDED/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

A new expert-led webcast series is designed for wastewater professionals looking to deepen their understanding of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from wastewater treatment processes. Consisting of four one-hour sessions, the series will cover the types and sources of GHGs from wastewater treatment, the process conditions and mechanisms that drive these emissions, real-world approaches to measuring, monitoring, and quantifying these emissions, and practical strategies for reducing them.

This series is organized by the US Water Alliance and Canadian Water Network, hosted by The Water Research Foundation, and presented in collaboration with the Danish Water Technology Alliance, Water Environment Federation (WEF), and the International Water Association.

Learn more: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1678637&tp_key=4c5a4c67d8

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the 2023-2024 Student and Young Professional Committee (SYPC). Their dedication to promoting the Canadian Water Network (CWN) and supporting fellow students and young professionals has been commendable.

Last year, we carefully selected some of Canada’s brightest and most enthusiastic young people to serve on our SYPC. The committee’s primary focus during this term was on building climate resilience.

For their final project, a subset of committee members created a database containing water conservation policies from major cities in each Canadian province and territory. Their goal was to make the policies easily accessible and comparable to improve the tracking of water conservation progress in the long term.

The policies are organized into categories like education, legislation and research. Additionally, the database includes recommendations on factors to be considered when creating such policies. Check out the full database here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fVbF6Gf7NULkZaoJ8z-wO4IhkkAKF6ceUHmAv3pOuBo/edit =522444171

To all the SYPC members, thank you for your hard work and dedication. We wish you continued success in your future endeavours!

Our quarterly newsletter is now available! In the newsletter, you’ll find:

· A message from our CEO Nicola Crawhall.

· A thought leader interview with Professor Maria Maldonado from the University of British Columbia.

· A career spotlight on David Szeptycki from York Region.

· A deep dive into addressing PFAS and what to know about recent US regulatory action.

· Updates from the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium on its recent activities, which prioritize navigating growing uncertainty and complexity in delivering municipal water services.

· An update on our Wastewater-based Surveillance Program, which we’re undertaking with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), as the program starts its second year.

· How our water and climate program area is working to make our communities stronger and better able to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Read more: https://createsend.com/t/r-B1EC8D0D0C89D44E2540EF23F30FEDED

CWN’s Talia Glickman and Giba Barrie recently attended the 2024 Canadian Knowledge Mobilization Forum. This biennial event brings together professionals dedicated to sharing insights, best practices, tools and resources.

During the forum, Talia and Giba met Peter Levesque, a social entrepreneur. His mission is to improve the quality of life for all, especially vulnerable populations, by empowering organizations to access, utilize and evaluate the best available knowledge and practice.

Pictured from left to right:
• Giba Barrie (Engagement and knowledge mobilization specialist at CWN).
• Peter Levesque (Creative specialist at Peter Norman Levesque Consulting).
• Talia Glickman (Wastewater-based surveillance program manager at CWN).

We’re on a mission to better tailor content that resonates with your interests and needs. To do this, we need a moment of your time.

We invite you to complete a short survey to help us understand how you interact with our website, e-newsletters and social media content.

By sharing your preferences, you’re directly enhancing the relevance and impact of the content we share.

Take the brief survey now: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50261659/2024-Audience-Analysis

High inflation, supply chain disruptions and increased interest rates are contributing to the rising costs of delivering water services. Our aging water infrastructure, coupled with ongoing growth and development, necessitates significant investment in infrastructure upgrades.

Despite water being relatively underpriced, it remains a costly necessity, especially for low-income, senior and disabled Canadians. Water utilities face the tremendous challenge of recovering costs while enhancing equity and affordability for their customers.

CWN is at the forefront of facilitating dialogues and knowledge exchange on this critical issue. On May 28, CWN, in collaboration with Stantec, hosted a webinar focused on customer assistance programs and rate design.

Read the summary of the webinar here: https://cwn-rce.ca/2024/06/18/fostering-equity-and-affordability-innovations-in-customer-assistance-and-rate-design/

View the webinar here: https://cwn-rce.ca/events/webinars/cwn-webinars/

A new report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) looks at financing for natural infrastructure projects. It showcases how private capital can help finance natural infrastructure to meet our water needs. The report also references our report on Balancing the Books: Financial Sustainability for Canadian Water Systems.

Check out IISD’s new report here: https://lnkd.in/gfHHae2F
Check out our Balancing the Books report here: https://lnkd.in/gq-cw7zA

We are excited to share the Summer 2024 issue of Plan Canada on WATER!

In this edition, we partnered with the Canadian Institute of Planners to explore a crucial question: is Canada truly water-wise?

Learn more about the issue and its contents in the Editors' Note by Sandra Cooke and Sarah Ezzio: https://www.cip-icu.ca/blog/plan-canada-summer-2024-is-canada-water-wise/

Read the full issue here: https://www.kelmanonline.com/httpdocs/files/CIP/plancanadasummer2024/index.html

We’re on a mission to better tailor the content we share through CWN's communications channels (i.e., website, social media and e-newsletters).

We invite you to complete a short survey to help us understand how you interact with these platforms.

Rest assured, your responses will remain strictly confidential and will directly contribute to enhancing the quality and relevance of the information we disseminate through our various channels.

Fill out the survey: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50261659/2024-Audience-Analysis

We’re excited to announce that alongside the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), we've been selected as a finalist for the Water Canada Awards! 🏆

Read more about our Wastewater-based Surveillance Program and the other finalists: https://watersummit.ca/home/water-canada-awards/2024-finalists/

Join us on August 13th as we celebrate the remarkable people, projects and technologies that are improving the Canadian water sector. This year, the awards will include an improv show to make the night even more memorable. Join us there! https://WaterCanadaAwardsShow2024.eventbrite.ca

CWN’s CEO Nicola Crawhall was thrilled to reconnect with many colleagues and to make new connections at the Building for Growth event on June 7, which was co-hosted by the Globe and Mail and the Century Initiative.

During the event, there were excellent presentations and panel discussions on the great challenges faced by our nation, productivity in the Canadian economy, immigration policy, climate change, and housing and infrastructure. Speakers included:

· Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada.
· Harold Calla, executive chair of the First Nations Financial Management Board.
· Senator Hassan Yussuff.
· Geoffrey Smith, executive chair of EllisDon.
· Matti Siemiatycki, professor of geography and planning and director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto.

A special shout out to Cathie O'Toole, CAO of the City of Halifax and former member of the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium in her previous role as head of Halifax Water. She spoke about the unexpected rise in immigration in recent years that overshot the city’s growth projections. While the growth is greatly welcomed, the City of Halifax is having to quickly adjust its infrastructure and housing planning to respond.

Pictured from left to right:

· Nicola Crawhall, CEO of CWN.
· Natasha Apollonova, manager of research at the Canada Infrastructure Bank/ Banque de l'infrastructure du Canada.
· Glenn Miller, senior associate at the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI).

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has launched a paper championing a new Municipal Growth Framework to help Canadian municipalities address their most pressing national challenges – aging infrastructure, climate change, housing, public safety and homelessness.

Learn more: fcm.ca/making-canadas-growth-a-success

Making Canada's Growth a Success | Federation of Canadian Municipalities Description and download link for an advocacy paper that outlines the urgent need for a Municipal Growth Framework for Canadian municipalities.

Yesterday, Nicola Crawhall, CEO of CWN, joined experts from academia, the private sector and NGOs at York University for a workshop on Fluid Perspectives: Navigating the Future of Water.

This event was organized by York University's One Water Institute, CIFAL York and CIRC-DRWC program. During the session on All for Water & Water for All, Dr. Syed Imran Ali, moderator of the session and adjunct professor at the Lassonde School of Engineering, asked panellists about challenges in urban water management.

Nicola shed light on the triple crisis facing cities: climate change, housing and affordability. She also highlighted the national imperative to seek reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, including the many Indigenous peoples living in cities.

As these areas garner more political attention, there is an opportunity to alter our course and move towards a more sustainable, equitable and resilient future for our cities. Key to this transformation is our approach to:
· Preparing for climate impacts like droughts and floods.
· Intensifying urban growth to maximize the value and reduce the cost of infrastructure.
· Integrating Indigenous two-eyed seeing in water resource decisions.

Stay tuned for Nicola’s upcoming feature in the summer issue of the Canadian Institute of Planners' Plan Canada magazine. The summer issue of the magazine explores topics related to integrated planning in support of water management.

Pictured:
· Nicola Crawhall, CEO of CWN, is in the front row, second from the right.
· Satinder Kaur Brar, professor at York University and director of the One Water Institute, is in the back row, fifth from left.
· Syed Imran Ali, adjunct professor at York University, is in the back row, third from right.

We'd like to congratulate Mariëlle van der Zouwen on her new role as interim CEO at KWR, an internationally recognized water research institute in the Netherlands. Mariëlle is a fellow member of the Global Water Research Coalition and a friend of CWN's. Most recently, she led KWR's sustainability and transitions knowledge group where she bridges science to practice.

Dragan Savic has been the CEO of KWR for the last six years during which time he led remarkable achievements and groundbreaking research for the institute. As he steps down from the CEO role, Dragan will continue as a global advisor on digital sciences with KWR.

Best wishes to KWR Water Research Institute for this next chapter of leadership and collaboration in the water sector.

Learn more: https://www.kwrwater.nl/en/actueel/dragan-savic-hands-over-ceo-role-to-marielle-van-der-zouwen/

We’re excited to share that our Canadian Municipal Water Consortium has launched a Strategic Advisory Committee. The Canadian Municipal Water Consortium is a national network of leaders from 26 utilities who share a common goal of advancing municipal water management. The strategic advisory committee supports greater alignment between the consortium’s priorities and members’ needs.

Members of the 2024/2025 inaugural committee include:

Alicia Fraser (General manager of integrated water services at Capital Regional District).

Kenda MacKenzie (Acting general manager/CEO of Halifax Water).

Russ Munro (Director at Saskatoon Water).

Gen Nielsen (Director of water facilities and treatment services at the City of Ottawa).

Dave Szeptycki (Director of sustainability, communications and innovation at York Region (The Regional Municipality of York)).

Learn more about each member: https://cwn-rce.ca/strategic-advisory-committee/

Join our team! We’re looking for a climate mitigation project manager to lead a three-year, pan-Canadian initiative. The initiative aims to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the water servicing sector.

Learn more: https://cwn-rce.ca/careers/

We’re thrilled to announce that Carol Malesky, principal of financial services at Stantec, will speak during our upcoming webinar.

Carol is a utility economist with over 25 years of experience assisting water, wastewater and stormwater utilities with financial analyses. She strives to apply sound economic principles to management and financial consulting challenges for her water and wastewater industry clients.

Katina Tam, senior program advisor at CWN, will moderate the webinar. In her role, Katina leads and implements various initiatives supporting the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium. This includes developing high-quality curated content, like reports and case studies, that can be used by network participants to inform decision-making.

Learn more about the webinar: d2423f62-b7af-4b06-b282-a7f593c8286b@c3471486-81b9-4a28-a76e-6946948247cf" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d2423f62-b7af-4b06-b282-a7f593c8286b@c3471486-81b9-4a28-a76e-6946948247cf

The 10th World Water Forum that’s happening this week is bringing attention to the collaboration around water that is needed at all levels. Forum participants from around the world are engaging in conversation around decentralized cooperation, with representation from Canada on the Secrétariat international de l'eau - International Secretariat for Water.

At CWN, we believe that cross-sectoral dialogue and cooperation are pivotal for advancing and improving water management decisions. In the face of Canada’s urban densification and housing demands, such collaboration is not just beneficial but necessary.

Many areas of the world are experiencing more extreme weather events than ever before. For this reason, disaster risk reduction and management is an important topic being discussed at the 10th World Water Forum this week. More specifically, speakers at the event are discussing topics like improving the resilience of water infrastructure, flood prevention and emergency response.

Increasing climate resilience is a topic of interest for CWN. Our Strategic Sharing Group, focused on increasing climate resilience through stormwater management, brings together senior decision-makers from municipalities and utilities across Canada to exchange knowledge on best practices.

Learn more about our Strategic Sharing Group: https://cwn-rce.ca/project/climate-resilience-through-stormwater-management/

This week, climate change is one of the topics being examined at the 10th World Water Forum.

One of the event’s subthemes is water security and prosperity. Speaker members from around the world are discussing topics like regenerative agriculture, food estate and drought resilient crops.

At CWN, we’re looking at climate impacts in Canada through our water and climate program area. One of the projects we have underway is currently assessing the impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector in the Canadian Prairies. Through this project, we’re looking to raise awareness among decision-makers in the agricultural sector about how climate impacts agricultural production and water availability.

Learn more about our project here: https://cwn-rce.ca/project/climate-impacts-water-availability-and-agricultural-activity-in-the-prairies-implications-for-water-supply-crop-yields-and-water-allocation/

The 10th World Water Forum is taking place in Bali, Indonesia this week. The forum brings people together from diverse sectors and backgrounds to share knowledge, experiences and practices to address global water needs and solutions.

This year’s theme, water for shared prosperity, is set to steer conversations on topics like water security, hydro-diplomacy and disaster risk reduction. At CWN, we’re looking forward to the insights that will emerge from the event.

Heads up! Water Canada's May/June 2023 issue is now out. It features an article by CWN’s Talia Glickman on the hidden power of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS). In this piece, she delves into how WBS can be used to support public health decision-making. Talia also provides insights into the needs of practitioners for interpreting and communicating WBS data.

Read the full article here: https://emagazine.watercanada.net/?pid=ODg8806480&p=35&v=2.1

Congratulations to Theresa McClenaghan for receiving an Honorary Doctorate of Laws (Honoris Causa) from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)!

Theresa is the executive director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association and a member of CWN’s Board of Directors.

As an environmental lawyer, Theresa’s work has spanned legal issues related to the response to the Walkerton water crisis, pesticides, green energy, air quality, and nuclear waste disposal, among others.

Theresa is one of nine individuals being honoured who have made exemplary contributions to:
• Academia and/or society in Canada and internationally, particularly in fields of interest to TMU.
• The development of TMU.
• The betterment of culture, society or the local community.

More information about Theresa and her fellow TMU honorary doctorate recipients is available here: https://www.torontomu.ca/news-events/news/2024/05/spring-hon-docs/

We are thrilled to announce the addition of Giba Barrie as the engagement and knowledge mobilization specialist for our Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS) Program. She will be joining the WBS Program Manager Talia Glickman in collaboration with the National Centre for Collaboration on Infectious Diseases (NCCID).

“I am super passionate about knowledge mobilization,” says Giba. “I possess a background in social work, and I always saw first-hand the great impact mobilizing knowledge has on different communities.” In her role, Giba will be helping health authorities interpret the meaning of wastewater-based surveillance data for their communities and communicate these results to decision-makers and the public.

Read more: https://cwn-rce.ca/2024/05/13/cwn-welcomes-giba-barrier-as-engagement-and-knowledge-mobilization-specialist/