The 2025 State of the Great Lakes Report gives water leaders a useful kind of news: progress is real, but it is mixed. Prepared by Canada and the United States under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the report assesses the Great Lakes overall as fair, with an unchanging trend. That is not a failing grade. It is also not a reason to ease up.
Over the past 18 months, the Water Quality Program has reviewed priorities for future guideline development and will be updating its website this summer.
On June 30, 2026, the federal government will bring into force new rules that prohibit the manufacture, use, sale, and import of certain PFAS (including PFOS, PFOA, and long-chain PFCAs), as well as products containing them, with limited exceptions.
Over the next 10 years, the Government of Canada is investing more than $5 billion in British Columbia’s local infrastructure through the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF).
Welcome to the Spring 2026 edition of News Splash, Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) quarterly newsletter.
Canadian Water Network’s CEO, Nicola Crawhall, sat down for an in-depth interview with Kim Sturgess, founder and recently retired CEO of WaterSMART Solutions Ltd. Kim has served as president of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. She is also a recipient of the Order of Canada for her outstanding achievements, dedication to community, and service to the nation.
In this edition, Municipal Water Program Manager Nancy Goucher speaks with Susan Ancel, senior principal water strategic initiatives at EPCOR. With Susan’s retirement in March 2026, this timely conversation reflects on her path through the water sector, the innovations she helped introduce, and her insights on how utilities can strengthen relationships with the communities they serve.
For decades, the mission of water and wastewater utilities has been defined by high-quality treatment and infrastructure management. But as the clean energy transition accelerates, the role of the wastewater leader is evolving to include being a critical energy provider. At CWN, we see wastewater not just as a flow to be treated, but as a high-value, untapped thermal asset.
Across Canada, water leaders are facing a familiar tension: rising expectations, aging systems, limited capital, and a growing list of risks — from cyber threats to climate volatility. Everyone agrees on the challenges. What’s often missing is the alignment between different partners. Blue Cities exists to close that gap.
Canada’s municipal water utilities are entering a period of significant reform as provinces across the country reevaluate the structure and oversight of water and wastewater services. At the same time, global economic uncertainty, shifting trade dynamics, and ongoing infrastructure supply-chain pressures are increasingly challenging how municipalities plan for, procure, and deliver critical water infrastructure their communities rely on.
