By Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister and special advisor for water There are few things more important to life than clean water. With 20 percent of the world’s freshwater and more inland water than any other country, Canada’s freshwater is both a tremendous responsibility and essential resource. Unfortunately, many lakes and [...]
The Government of Canada created the Canada Water Agency within Environment and Climate Change Canada in June 2023 with a mandate to improve freshwater management by providing leadership, effective collaboration federally, and improved coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples to address freshwater challenges and opportunities. The Government of Canada introduced legislation in [...]
Over the past year, we’ve been working with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) to facilitate a peer learning program that builds knowledge and resources for effectively interpreting and communicating wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) data across Canada. The program’s inaugural phase commenced in April 2023 and concludes in March 2024. During this period, [...]
Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS) Program, facilitated jointly with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease (NCCID), is nearing the end of its first year. With that come some exciting accomplishments. Two streams of Strategic Sharing Groups (SSG) have been completed. One SSG focused on communication and interpretation of WBS data, and [...]
Canadian Water Network (CWN) made progress on several climate-related initiatives in the first quarter of 2024. These initiatives include a project that examines climate impacts, water availability and agricultural activity in the Prairies. Advancing research on climate impacts: A landmark two-year project is being undertaken by CWN in partnership with ClimateWest and the Prairie Adaptation [...]
We are pleased to present the latest update from Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) Canadian Municipal Water Consortium, a national network of utility leaders who share a common goal of advancing municipal water management. Welcoming new members We’re thrilled to announce the addition of two new members: the City of Waterloo and the City of [...]
Welcome to the World Water Week edition of News Splash. This year, the United Nations (UN) is launching a 'Water for Peace' campaign as part of the World Water Day celebrations. The UN recognizes that access to safe water can bring peace and prosperity, whereas a lack of access can be the source of [...]
Canadian Water Network (CWN) and GHD invite you to a webinar that asks: how will the water sector in Canada adapt to a changing climate? The water sector faces many challenges with integrating climate adaptation into long-term planning and decision-making. Deep uncertainty associated with climate change or complex socio-political realities constrains decision-making, causing paralysis [...]
Xylem, one of Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) Innovation Partners, recently hosted a panel discussion on digital roadmapping in water utilities. Industry leaders participated in a dialogue about what it means to “digitally transform” a utility. This includes presenting current definitions and frameworks, highlighting successful examples, and sharing a peek into the digital future. The [...]
Canadian Water Network (CWN) recently brought together 19 utilities for the second data Strategic Sharing Group meeting. This group brings together members of CWN’s Canadian Municipal Water Consortium to explore approaches to advancing digital transformation through a water lens. Building on conversations from the October kickoff meeting, members heard from Halifax Water about its [...]