The Water Haller – November 2019

Fresh Air Inspires Fresh Thinking!

That was my tweet from the National Conference in Banff – “Fresh Air Inspires Fresh Thinking”.   I think that was true for all that attended.  I am still receiving great compliments on the quality of the technical program and the national discussions that ensued.  I have to thank all of the committee volunteers that helped build that program and to the 150+ speakers that contribute so greatly to making this event so successful.

Of course…. praise to the Kara and the rest of the CWWA team that put the whole thing together.

If you haven’t been to the Banff Springs Hotel, I don’t think one could adequately describe it to you.  It is a ‘noble’ hotel that is both luxurious and comfortable at the same time; steeped in history.  The setting is just so beautiful amongst the mountains and I swear we experienced all four seasons in one week.

We are working on the post-conference blast – that is mostly designed to make all those that did not attend feel bad.  We are sharing some of the pics in this bulletin, but all the rest of the pics, and access to the presentations and all the wrap-up info will be coming to you directly soon.

In addition to the quality of the program, I know that ‘I’ had fun at the Celebration Hoedown hosted by EPCOR.  Great bbq, great music and a pink cowboy hat as a souvenir!  We also raised a lot of money for Operators Without Borders.  Our genuine thanks to the exhibitors for their prizes and to all those that bid.  But just because you didn’t win your silent auction item (or even if you did), you can still donate at their website www.operatorswithoutborders.org .

Federal Cabinet:

As I write this column, the Prime Minister is revealing the new Liberal Cabinet.  You will have seen the new announcements by the time you read this, but we won’t know fully what all that means for a few weeks.  We’ll have to get a sense of who has what portfolio, see their mandate letters and hear the throne speech.  I will expand on this topic next month.

All of this will have an impact of course on what we talk about at the Window on Ottawa in June.  We are excited to share the event this year with the Canadian Water Summit and Water Canada magazine.  This will bring a whole new aspect to this national discussion.  Book your calendars for June 10-12 here in Ottawa.

Robert