It’s budget development time in municipalities, and I am imagining what it would be like to be the head of a large municipal water utility, managing multiple pressures that are pushing costs up and deciding what to propose in response in the middle of an affordability crisis. Spoiler alert, there is no silver bullet.
As wildfires burn across Canada this summer, communities focus on evacuation, emergency response, and rebuilding. Yet another critical part of recovery often receives far less attention: protecting drinking water.
Last month, I wrote about the potential value of wastewater for heating and cooling buildings. This month, I’m continuing to focus on the value of wastewater but through a different lens: its potential as a source of fertilizer. A global fertilizer shortage, triggered in part by the Straight of Hormuz blockade, is driving up costs and constraining supply as farmers prepare for the spring planting season.
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.
Looking back, January 2026 may be remembered as the point when Canadians woke up to the reality of water scarcity, particularly groundwater scarcity, amid climate change and rapid growth. We know that Canada has 20 percent of the world’s total freshwater, but only about seven percent is renewable. This makes security, not abundance, the right frame for the decade ahead.
Across Canada, major reviews and new legislation are prompting calls for sweeping changes to how water and wastewater services are governed. However, the rush to restructure risks may be obscuring what truly keeps communities safe.
Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) was released at the end of November. Its main conclusions will sound familiar to anyone working in water, wastewater, or stormwater at the local level.
Long-term infrastructure decision makers have always faced the challenge of forecasting a future they cannot accurately predict — estimating the timing and location of the arrival of that anticipated future. In more stable times, these challenges were manageable.
Hear that? That’s the roar of the ‘New Economic Reality’ express train heading your way. Canadians across the country are scrambling to figure out which station it will stop at. Many of us may remain standing at our usual stop, watching helplessly as it flies by.
