Welcome to the summer edition of News Splash. Just two weeks ago, the Canadian Water Network (CWN) team and senior decision makers from Canada’s water sector gathered in Gatineau for Blue Cities 2026, CWN’s flagship annual event. Based on feedback from delegates, it was another hugely successful event, featuring keynotes from Mark Fisher, president of the Canada Water Agency, and Peter Weltman, vice chair of the Canadian Infrastructure Council. An enormous thank you to our 18 corporate sponsors. You can read about highlights in this newsletter.

At the conference, I announced the creation of the Canadian Water Network Foundation (CWN Foundation). This is a charitable organization affiliated with CWN that will drive excellence in the water sector with a focus on research, training, education, and Indigenous water management.

CWN is also delighted to announce the formation of the Indigenous Water Management Advisory Committee, chaired by Norine Littlechild of Samson Cree First Nation and Selina Young of Toronto Water. The advisory committee will help guide and advise on CWN’s and the CWN Foundation’s work on Indigenous water management. The members of the committee and the organizations they represent will also co-develop joint projects through their organizations. To get to know members of the committee, please visit our website.

In this issue of News Splash, you will also find Al Cho’s remarks from Blue Cities 2026. He is executive vice president and chief strategy and external affairs officer at Xylem. Al is also a member of CWN’s Board of Directors. He delivered a standout address during the plenary session on water security, and we’re pleased to share key insights with our network.

We’re also drawing attention to Elvis Oliveira — senior director of water and wastewater infrastructure planning, partnerships, and compliance for the Region of Peel — in our water leader spotlight for this issue. At Blue Cities, he received the Blue Impact Award. The award is presented to an individual who represents excellence in utility leadership.

We would also like to give a special thank you to Susan Ancel, who served on CWN’s Board of Directors for nine years. At Blue Cities, we presented her with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her visionary leadership and exemplary contributions to the Canadian water sector. A copy of her acceptance speech is available on our website.

Exciting times are ahead for CWN, our members, program and project participants, sponsors, advisory committee members, and funders. Please reach out to me at [email protected] if anything you learn from this newsletter catches your interest.

I hope you have a great summer, near, on or in water.

Nicola Crawhall

CEO of CWN