Sofia Fernandes has joined Canadian Water Network (CWN) as the Municipal Water Research Co-op Student for the Water and Communities program area.  In her role, Sofia will facilitate knowledge sharing, dissemination and exchange among municipal water leaders. She will also assist in researching global experts in the water sector with expertise in water servicing, climate and health.  “During my [...]

2024 was a banner year for Canadian Water Network (CWN)! We grew our networks and our program areas, welcomed new members and received an award for our Wastewater-based Surveillance program. You can read about our accomplishments throughout the year in our annual report. The report’s theme is Igniting Interest. Inspiring Action. It captures CWN’s dedication to bringing the right [...]

Welcome to the Winter Edition of News Splash. Over the past year, infrastructure failures in Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and Winnipeg made the news, which made our 'brilliantly invisible' water systems much more visible. The issue of aging infrastructure dominated discussions among senior water leaders during our meetings held this quarter. Given the age of infrastructure in Canada's big cities, [...]

Canadian Water Network's CEO Nicola Crawhall recently sat down for a conversation with Benjamin Morgan, principal and managing director of the Centre for Crisis and Risk Communications. Benjamin is one of the country's leading communications experts for managing emergency situations in high pressure environments. He’s advised through numerous crises, including Canada's two costliest natural disasters and largest peace-time evacuation: [...]

Submitted by Katina Tam, Senior Program Advisor Meet Russ Munro from Saskatoon Water Many of Canada's municipal water leaders are exceptional individuals with diverse backgrounds. To celebrate and elevate their contributions, CWN is creating profiles that showcase their career paths and insights on industry trends. For our third water leader spotlight, meet Russ Munro, director of Saskatoon Water. Early influences [...]

Submitted by Kim Jusek, Manager of the Municipal Consortium (former) This fall, the Canadian Water Municipal Consortium continued to support utility leaders in working toward sustainable, equitable and resilient cities. During this quarter we have focused on strategies to communicate with key stakeholders and the public to enhance understanding of complex urban water systems. Effective communication can help secure [...]

Submitted by Talia Glickman, Wastewater-based Surveillance Program Manager CWN's collaboration with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID), with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), is instrumental in empowering public health practitioners through our wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) program. This initiative supports peer learning and knowledge sharing for public health practitioners. National Summit on Wastewater Surveillance [...]

Submitted by Sandra Cooke, Director, Communities and Climate CWN has advanced action on several water and climate-related initiatives since September 2024. We are advancing collaboration in the municipal water sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) by launching a new project funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada. We have also begun to investigate approaches for integrating adaptation planning [...]

PFAS are a concern due to their persistence, mobility and toxicity with widespread exposure. Exposure to higher concentrations have been linked to cancer. There is also evidence of effects from exposure in utero, infancy and early childhood, including immunosuppression and diminished vaccine efficacy, as well as an increased risk of infections, allergies, asthma and attention deficit. At a recent [...]

On October 16, 2024, in Winnipeg, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, officially announced the establishment of the Canada Water Agency as a standalone federal entity. Daniel Wolfish remains at the helm as Interim President, pending the selection of a permanent President through a Privy Council Office-led process in 2025. In 2025, the Agency will [...]

As the federal lead for freshwater science, Environment and Climate Change Canada's Science and Technology Branch is leading the development of a National Freshwater Science Agenda, an inclusive and coordinated roadmap that identifies the most pressing freshwater challenges across Canada. It will inform a coordinated approach to the science needed to address these challenges over the next 10 years. [...]

Natural Resources Canada's Climate-Resilient Coastal Communities Program (CRCC) is providing funding to enhance the climate resilience of coastal communities and businesses and accelerate adaptation through integrated regional-scale pilot projects. The CRCC program is co-funding 21 pilot projects on Canada's three marine coasts — Atlantic, Pacific, and North — and in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, representing diverse economic, social [...]

On October 24, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada launched a new initiative to empower communities across Canada in building resilient, low-carbon housing and infrastructure. The Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure (CTHI) offers important support for various infrastructure sectors, including water, wastewater, and stormwater management. The CTHI provides a suite of open access tools and support services designed to [...]

The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to address the impacts of the housing crisis on communities of all sizes across Canada. CHIF will provide $6 billion over 10 years, starting in 2024-25, to accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing-enabling drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure, directly supporting the creation [...]

Register for the final webcast of the wastewater process emissions series, Opportunities for process emissions reductions, on December 12 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Learn about strategies for reducing N2O and CH4 emissions at wastewater treatment facilities and how to implement them in your professional role. Abatement of CH4 will focus on preventative maintenance and improved methane capture. N2O reductions [...]