Water Haller: The Window on Ottawa and two Canadian Affairs Committees
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Being your advocate on national water issues is the main reason CWWA exists as an association. One of the key ways we fulfill that task is with our Window on Ottawa event. We just completed another successful event and were pleased to invite our members from across Canada to two solid days of dialogue. The program was varied with relevant federal presentations and interesting panel discussions on the key national topics. As always, we had a very engaged audience that posed questions from the floor and met with speakers after each session. As I’ve said, this is not a big event, but it is a very important one! This is one of the best ways that we, as your national association, engage the federal government and include you, our members, in that discussion. My only wish is that more of you could experience just one Window on Ottawa and you’d be convinced of the value. There is a fuller account of this event in this Bulletin and a full event report due out soon.
Another one of our goals, and the way we strengthen our advocacy, is through collaboration with other associations. CWWA is proud to be an active member of the Canadian Affairs Committee (CAC) of both WEF and AWWA. This participation builds our relationship with the two major water organizations in North America (WEF and AWWA) while working closely with each of the provincial/regional associations. At each of the CAC meetings, we discuss the key issues concerning water and wastewater professionals, we harness the resources of WEF and AWWA and make them more accessible and user-friendly for a Canadian audience. We also develop cooperative strategies on how to address national issues together, such as new lead guidelines or the wastewater system effluent regulations.
CWWA has also been facilitating cooperation amongst many more national water organizations such as the Canadian Water Network, Canadian Association for Water Quality, Canadian Public Works Association, Canadian Water Resources Association, Canadian Network of Asset Managers, Public Sector Digest, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and more. As we address federal legislation and policies, we work to strengthen our collective voice from this municipal water sector.
