Another great Window on Ottawa!

If you missed it, you missed a great one!  The Window on Ottawa is our signature event, like no other in our industry, as it brings together federal project leaders and policy makers with our membership of water leaders.  Through this annual forum, we can engage the federal departments and agencies on their current and future projects.  This year was no different, even as a virtual event, as over 200 delegates heard from a dozen senior federal policy makers.

Once again, we co-hosted the event with the Canada Water Summit and our partners at Water Canada magazine.  National topics discussed this year included: climate change, cybersecurity, wastewater monitoring, infrastructure, stormwater, the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines and the establishment of a new Canada Water Agency.

We also heard a moving keynote address on water and the communities of the First Nations.   As we just marked National Indigenous Peoples Day and have been reminded of the horrors of residential schools, we recognize the water challenges facing far too many First Nations communities.  As I stated in my opening remarks for the Window on Ottawa, CWWA was formed to represent municipal utilities at the national level, so we have considered First Nations water issues to be to “outside of our mandate”, but it is time we all accept that the health of First Nations communities is in ALL of our mandates.  CWWA renews its offer of support in any way to address these challenges, be it service agreements with our member utilities or tapping into the knowledge and experience of our water professionals.