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.