I have another article in this e-Bulletin about our presence and showing at the IWA’s World Water Congress in Tokyo last week, but I wanted to use this column to speak about my growing appreciation for the IWA – the International Water Association.
Since I took on this job with the CWWA, I have focused almost solely on building our relationships within Canada – between our member communities and our provincial/regional association partners.Of course, to do this, we also work closely with WEF and AWWA and their Canadian Affairs Committees, as most of our members and partners are part of one or both of these American-based organizations.
I have always proclaimed the benefits of networking with one’s peers, first in your region, then at the national level, but it’s time we Canadians start networking on the international level as well. There is certainly a lot we can learn and a lot we can share.
Like many, my first, uneducated impression of the IWA was that it was purely an academic group gathering researchers on global and social issues. While the IWA is very strong at that aspect, the IWA is also very relevant to our utility sector. Academics and researchers can certainly consider topics at great length, but we know it is the utilities that will make anything happen. The IWA (like the CWWA, CAWQ, and CWN partnership) understands that we must all be engaged in this discussion to find and to implement the solutions our world needs. I was very impressed with the utility leadership focus of many sessions at this year’s world water congress in Tokyo. I was impressed to see strong participation by the leadership of so many national utility associations like WEF and AWWA and similar organizations from Japan, China, Australia, UK, Denmark and just about every country in the world. I loved the networking opportunity to meet my counterparts from around the globe.
This is also a tremendous venue for the business sector with thousands of water professionals in one place.The IWA hosts an impressive exhibition floor with impressive traffic flow. This is a great global opportunity for our Canadian entrepreneurs.
So why am I telling you this? Because I need you ALL there in Toronto when we host the world in 2022. This is a rare opportunity when the whole water world will come to us. With minimal travel or cost, we can network with professionals from every country and we can show off Canadian innovation and know-how. I am telling you now – and will repeat this many times – that I am counting on you to help us host the world!
We have an extra opportunity for our young professionals when we host the IWA’s YP Conference in Toronto next June. https://iwa-youngwaterprofessionals.org
In the meantime, I also expect to see you all in Montreal in November for our own National Water & Wastewater Conference!
Robert
Canadian Water and Wastewater Association