Welcome to the Fall 2025 edition of News Splash. Watch out! This newsletter is bursting with valuable insights, research, and activity.

With ongoing economic uncertainty affecting the country and budget season approaching, we are sharing articles that offer timely insights and propose solutions.

My CEO thought leader interview with Craig Binning and Andrew Mirabella of Hemson Consulting, which specializes in municipal finance and economic forecasting, highlights the financial instability facing local governments. We also explore strategies to cope with the shifting policy and economic landscape.

For more insights on these turbulent times, check out our new monthly blog Reflections. This month’s piece explores topics like cost escalation, U.S. tariffs, building water infrastructure for accelerated housing, and creative solutions to move forward. Check it out here.

Speaking of creative solutions, I am thrilled to announce Bird Construction as our newest Innovation Partner Sponsor. This program facilitates exclusive knowledge exchange between specific companies and Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) Municipal Water Consortium. Bird’s kick-off article focuses on alternative project delivery as a strategy to contain costs, share risk, and complete projects on time and on budget. Read the article here.

I am delighted that CWN has been chosen to assist Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada to better understand the needs of Canadian municipalities in managing costs and strengthening the financial sustainability of their water services. Part of this work will involve highlighting financing success stories from municipalities across the country. If your municipality has an experience to share or you are interested in hearing from other municipalities about financing wins, please consider joining our kick-off session on November 4 at the National Water and Wastewater conference in Victoria. To learn more, contact Nancy at [email protected]

Financial instability is not the only kind of disruption affecting the provision of water. Our climate continues to warm as carbon emissions continue unabated. Canada endured another season of extensive wildfires, particularly in Yukon, B.C., Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Manitoba. CWN’s recent webinar — featuring Professor Monica Emelko (University of Waterloo) and Antoinne Rempp (Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo) — explores how wildfires impact water provision. It’s the first in our Municipal Readiness Webinar Series, which offers timely, practical guidance to help water utilities navigate emerging challenges.

To better predict climate change impacts on water availability and crop yields, CWN collaborated with the University of Regina’s Prairie Agriculture Resources Collaborative to map out climate scenarios for the Prairie region. See an article on this research by CWN’s Sandra Cooke, and stay tuned for upcoming webinars with Professor Dave Sauchyn presenting his team’s findings. CWN’s climate projects on adaptive pathways planning and net zero water are assisting municipalities with adaptation and mitigation measures. Communities of Practice for both projects are launching this Fall.

Our membership in the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC) keeps us connected to the latest research conducted by some of the world’s leading institutes. Check out our resources section that links to articles, reports, and webcasts on topics like artificial intelligence (AI), nitrous oxide emissions, PFAS, wildfires, and more. The section features insights from organizations like DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (German Water Centre), UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), and Water Research Foundation (WRF).

Finally, be sure to check out our redesigned website we are launching today! It is now easier to navigate and find CWN’s most current resources.

As always, we’d love to hear your feedback on what you learned from the newsletter and what you’d like to hear more about. Please fill out this form to provide your feedback.

I hope you have a fabulous Fall.