Through our water and climate program area, we’re undertaking a two-year project to understand the impact of climate change on water availability across the Canadian Prairies. This project is being undertaken in collaboration with our partners ClimateWest and Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (PARC), and support from the RBC Foundation through RBC Tech for Nature. Our project aims to provide [...]

At the recent Blue Cities conference in Toronto, which typically focuses on water utility concerns, Canadian Water Network extended invitations to individuals from the public health sphere. This infusion led to new health-related topics, such as increased wastewater surveillance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The extensive spread of COVID-19 demanded immediate action from public health officials, scientists [...]

The Government of Canada is making the regulatory process for navigable waters easier and more efficient in response to requests made by local communities. More specifically, the process for asking the federal government to restrict the use of boats on lakes and rivers is being streamlined for all orders of government. The announcement was made by National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, [...]

After a three-year hiatus, CWN's flagship Blue Cities 2023 conference was bigger and better than ever. Drawing 200 participants from across Canada, the event unfolded at the Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto. The conference focused on topics related to municipal water management and public health protection. Notably, 70 percent of Blue Cities attendees held pivotal decision-making roles. Half of [...]

Welcome to the December 2023 edition of Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) News Splash. What a quarter it has been – CWN is firing on all cylinders! Most exciting has been the return to our in-person Blue Cities conference, where we hosted 200 water and public health enthusiasts, held two national dialogues on pressing issues of the day, sang a [...]

Canadian Water Network (CWN) is delighted to announce that GHD, Stantec, and Xylem have become the first companies to join CWN’s new Innovation Partner Sponsorship program.  About the Innovation Partner Sponsorship program The Innovation Partner Sponsorship program bridges the gap between private-sector innovation and public-sector needs. More specifically, it:  Promotes the thought leadership of leading companies and [...]

Canadian Water Network (CWN) is thrilled to announce a new initiative as CWN joins forces with the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative (University of Regina) and Climate West. Thanks to the generous support of RBC's Tech for Nature program, we are embarking on a transformative journey aimed at enhancing our understanding of climate change impacts on water availability across the [...]

By Michele Samuels, strategic accounts manager at Xylem As utilities implement digital solutions, we often hear how technology helped ‘turn on the lights,’ allowing utility managers to see their operations more clearly, without the shadows of outdated systems, unconnected data and information silos. Technology provides an essential bridge between data and decision-making, delivering transformative outcomes for communities of all [...]

Over the past six months, an exciting and dynamic partnership has been flourishing between Canadian Water Network (CWN) and the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). This partnership has resulted in the development of the Wastewater-based Surveillance (WBS) program, an initiative that has been orchestrating captivating discussions aimed at helping our public health practitioners decipher the secrets concealed [...]

This thought leader interview features Dr. Monica Emelko, Canada Research Chair of Water Science, Technology and Policy and Scientific Director of the forWater Network at the University of Waterloo. She shares her expertise and experience in researching the impact of forest fires on drinking water source quality and treatability. Can you share some reflections on how you came to [...]

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. Presence in the Canadian water industry The Canadian Municipal Water Consortium continues to maintain a strong presence in the Canadian water industry. In June, we participated [...]

Welcome to the Fall 2023 edition of Canadian Water Network’s (CWN) News Splash. It's been quite a summer, and let's start with the good news. The pandemic is finally receding, and people are embracing the return of travel and in-person events. For this reason, we're thrilled that CWN's flagship event, Blue Cities, is making a comeback after a three-year [...]

We are happy to share that Talia Glickman has joined the Canadian Water Network (CWN) team as an engagement and knowledge mobilization specialist for our Wastewater-Based Surveillance (WBS) Program. CWN is undertaking this program in collaboration with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). “We are delighted to welcome Talia to the Wastewater-based Surveillance Program team at CWN,” [...]

This edition’s thought leader interview features Jimmy Zammar, the City of Vancouver’s director of urban watersheds, sewers and drainage, who shares his experience in implementing the city’s Rain City Strategy. How did the City of Vancouver’s Rain City Strategy come about? The Rain City strategy is the fruit of over 10 years of effort by city staff from across [...]

Parts of Europe have recently experienced drier conditions in early spring due to warmer temperatures, extremely low rainfall and low snowfall in the past winter. The continent is facing a severe water shortage, and there have been discussions of declaring a “drought emergency” in some places like Catalonia that have been brutally impacted. As of April, Catalonia had experienced [...]

Municipalities across Canada are facing numerous challenges, including population growth, aging infrastructure and degraded ecosystem health, while also needing to improve social equity and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and foster economic growth. Climate change is exacerbating these already difficult challenges. Inaction comes at a cost. GHD’s Aquanomics report highlights that floods, droughts and major storms could cost the Canadian economy [...]

Canadian Water Network (CWN) is excited to launch a new wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) program in partnership with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). This program supports public health practitioners serving both cities and Indigenous regions in interpreting the meaning of WBS data for their communities. It also supports public health practitioners in effectively communicating with decision-makers and the [...]

CWN welcomes Deborah Van Dyk as program manager We’re happy to share that Deborah Van Dyk joined the CWN team as a program manager for our Wastewater-Based Surveillance Program in March 2023. Deborah is leading a 13-month demonstration project to support public health authorities in interpreting the meaning of WBS data for their communities and effectively communicating these results [...]

The Canadian Municipal Water Consortium continues to foster collaboration and innovation within the water servicing sector. Recently, 28 municipal and utility water leaders from across the country gathered for an in-person meeting in Hamilton, Ontario. The meeting provided a platform for valuable discussions, guest presentations, and peer learning around current successes and challenges in servicing urban densification. The conversations [...]

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used chemicals that can be found in the environment, water and air. Now, the Government of Canada has discovered PFAS in the blood of Canadians, confirming the need for adequate assessment of sources and impacts of PFAS on the environment and human health. The nature of PFAS breaking down slowly and building [...]

Canadian Water Network (CWN) is pleased to receive funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to deliver a wastewater-based surveillance program in partnership with the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID). The program supports the effective interpretation and communication of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) data by public health practitioners, including the unique [...]

Xylem Inc., a leading water technology company, recently released a white paper titled The Race We All Win: Mapping the route to water utility decarbonization. The white paper outlines four practical steps for water utilities can take to achieve net-zero targets without taking financing and contracts into consideration. Austin Alexander, vice president of sustainability and social impact at Xylem [...]

Data governance is at the heart of creating a more just and equitable society. This was one of the key insights that Thomas Linder from Open North recently shared with the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium’s Levels of Service Strategic Sharing Group. During the meeting in March 2023, Thomas shared Open North’s perspective on the intersection between big data collection [...]

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is leading the charge for equitable practices in the U.S. water utility space. At a meeting held in March 2023, members of the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium’s Rates and Affordability Strategic Sharing Group gained valuable insights from SPU representatives Steve Hamai and Leslie Brinson. One of the key lessons SPU has learned through its work [...]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada is investing $420 million over 10 years to help protect and restore the Great Lakes. The announcement was made during U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa on March 24, which highlights the importance of this investment. Funds will be allocated to several initiatives, including the cleanup of 12 [...]