Record Breaking Conference
Well…the National Conference is wrapped up, and it is officially the largest conference we’ve ever had…by far. Over 600 participants and 55 exhibitors, when we have normally been closer to 400 participants and 30 booths. Yes, Victoria is a beautiful place to go, but I know we had a big bump from all those that redirected their conference travel budget from US events to our own Canadian event. Thank you!
My stress was whether we could pull it off with that big of an increase. Could we all fit in the meeting rooms? Would there be enough hotel rooms? Would everyone get fed (and get a drink)? This was our opportunity to show off our incredible Canadian conference to so many first-timers…but we needed to make sure it was not their last time.
From all accounts, I think we pulled it off. We found the hotel rooms and rearranged seating to get maximum attendance in each breakout room, but we can never get that science right, knowing how many are going to attend each session – there is always a surprise session that overflows a room’s capacity. But we were all fed and we all had fun – I know I had fun! The Tuesday night Big Band Swing event was unforgettable. I have to thank my incredible team – Kara Parisien, Shannon Byck and Lynne Coyne, as well as everyone at the Victoria Convention Centre.
So I hope this trend will continue. The current issues with our US relationship will continue for a few more years at least, but I hope that we have proven the value of a “Canadian” national conference on its own merit. 600 Canadian water leaders sharing their knowledge and building critical networks. If you enjoyed this event, be sure to tell others! Start planning now for Halifax, November 1-5, 2026.
Federal Watch
As I wrote last month, the federal government established the Canadian Infrastructure Council who have set out to publish a new National Infrastructure Assessment. That report should be released very soon…and you will get it in an e-blast as soon as we get it. Meanwhile, all of their supporting reports are available.
The Government released its budget (during our national conference) and it seems they are putting the funds behind their promises. In addition to several “nation-building” projects, they announced $51 billion to the “Build Communities Strong Fund.” This fund focuses again on what they describe as “housing-enabling infrastructure” and clearly notes water and wastewater services as top priorities.
We continue to monitor the tariff situation, with conflicting messages about their true impact. Are most items still covered under CUSMA … and for how long? Meanwhile, cities and their utilities are reworking their procurement policies to be more pro-Canadian or even anti-US. Expect another survey from us soon.