Over the past year, infrastructure failures in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and Winnipeg made the news, which made our 'brilliantly invisible' water systems much more visible. The issue of aging infrastructure dominated discussions among senior water leaders during our meetings held this quarter.

Canadian Water Network's CEO Nicola Crawhall recently sat down for a conversation with Benjamin Morgan, principal and managing director of the Centre for Crisis and Risk Communications.

Many of Canada's municipal water leaders are exceptional individuals with diverse backgrounds. To celebrate and elevate their contributions, Canadian Water Network is creating profiles that showcase their career paths and insights on industry trends. For our third water leader spotlight, meet Russ Munro, director of Saskatoon Water.

This fall, the Canadian Water Municipal Consortium continued to support utility leaders in working toward sustainable, equitable and resilient cities. During this quarter we have focused on strategies to communicate with key stakeholders and the public to enhance understanding of complex urban water systems.

On September 10 – 12, CWN and NCCID hosted the second National Summit on Wastewater Surveillance in Winnipeg. This year's discussion focused on the future of wastewater surveillance.

We are advancing collaboration in the municipal water sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by launching a new project funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada. We have also begun to investigate approaches for integrating adaptation planning into long-term municipal water infrastructure and water management projects.

At a recent workshop hosted by The Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC), some important research findings for water utilities were shared about PFAS transportation, treatment, and fate.

On October 16, 2024, in Winnipeg, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, officially announced the establishment of the Canada Water Agency as a standalone federal entity.

As the federal lead for freshwater science, Environment and Climate Change Canada's Science and Technology Branch is leading the development of a National Freshwater Science Agenda, an inclusive and coordinated roadmap that identifies the most pressing freshwater challenges across Canada.

Natural Resources Canada's Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program (CRCC) is providing funding to enhance the climate resilience of coastal communities and businesses and accelerate adaptation through integrated regional-scale pilot projects.

On October 24, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada launched a new initiative to empower communities across Canada in building resilient, low-carbon housing and infrastructure.

The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund will provide $6 billion over 10 years, starting in 2024-25, to accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing-enabling drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure, directly supporting the creation of new homes and increasing densification.