This fall, Canadian Water Network (CWN) is launching the next phase of its work to help municipalities strengthen the long-term financial sustainability of water, wastewater, and stormwater services.

The project builds on CWN’s Balancing the Books: Financial Sustainability for Canadian Water Systems report and Phase 1 of our work with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). Phase 1 included a national needs assessment and 10 case studies capturing successful approaches to improving financial sustainability from municipalities across Canada. The first case study examines full cost recovery as a financial framework. View the case study here. The remaining case studies will be available on CWN’s website in early November.

Shifting from documenting what works to supporting application

Phase 2 involves translating the knowledge developed in Phase 1 into practical resources that municipal leaders and practitioners can use to address infrastructure deficits, support growth-related infrastructure investments, and maintain reliable service delivery over the long term. The project will produce best practice brochures, expert video interviews, an online resource hub, and a webinar to promote their practical application.

The project supports Canadian municipalities as they work to manage increasing pressures from aging infrastructure, growing capital requirements, housing and population growth, climate resilience needs, and rising operating costs, all while facing growing concerns about household affordability. Long-term financial sustainability is therefore not only about how infrastructure is funded. It is increasingly about how utilities balance competing priorities while maintaining reliable services and public confidence.

Continuing the conversation in Winnipeg

These same pressures were at the heart of CWN’s Fall 2026 Consortium Leaders Group meeting in Winnipeg on September 16 and 17. The meeting focused on water affordability and financial resilience.

Senior utility leaders came together to examine one of the sector’s most difficult questions: how can utilities keep essential services affordable today while ensuring their systems remain financially sustainable for the future?

Discussions explored the complex relationship between affordability, financial resilience, levels of service, infrastructure investment, and growth. Leaders shared approaches to communicating the value of water services to customers and decision-makers, incorporating equity into affordability programs, and tracking and measuring the success of affordability initiatives.

Together, the Phase 2 HICC project and the Consortium Leaders Group meeting reflect a common goal: moving from insight to action. By combining proven municipal practices with candid peer-to-peer dialogue, CWN is helping utilities build the financial resilience needed to make informed long-term investments, maintain reliable services and support resilient communities across Canada. Look for our financial sustainability stories coming early this fall to learn how utilities are putting these ideas into practice.