Seriously, if you want to know what I’ve been up to in the last month, just read the rest of this bulletin with articles on:
- The National Round Table on Flood Risk
- House of Commons Committee Hearings on lead
- Ontario Workshop on Decentralized Wastewater
- Indonesian delegation

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, hosted a National Round Table on Flood Risk on November 16th. The event was held in Regina and included over 50 water professionals around the table plus another 50 around the outside of the room in support positions.

Participative strategic visioning and planning can clarify vision and direction, prioritize strategic goals and inspire stakeholders to work together to create the ideal future. During the CWWA Window in Ottawa (2017) workshop: ‘Strategic Visioning of Urban Water Management 2050’ the challenges associated with Urban Water Management were explored. The participative and creative workshop identified four interrelated topics: SMART Cities, Security, Sustainability and Resilience as key areas that will shape the future of Urban Water Management.

With our CWWA headquarters in Ottawa, we get a lot of opportunities to meet international visitors. On November 22nd, we were invited to the Indonesian Embassy to meet a delegation of water professionals and politicians from that country looking for advice as they develop a new national water strategy. Adrian Toth, CWWA’s Director of Government Relations and I were warmly welcomed by His Excellency Teuku Faizasyah, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia.

What started as a private member’s bill to consider a federal role with regard to lead has moved on to a series of hearings before the Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Committee of Parliament. Chaired by the Hon. Judy Sgro, the committee of MP’s is first educating themselves on the issues surrounding lead in drinking water and then determining if this is strictly a provincial/municipal matter or if there is a role for the federal government to play.

For those that have attended either of the last two National Water & Wastewater Conferences, you know we have started a tradition of handing out a stylist CWWA toque. We continued the tradition in 2017 at the NWWC in St. John's.

Leading biosolids and organics solutions provider, Lystek International Ltd. (Lystek), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a US $1.5M ( ) grant through the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) Program. The mandate of the EPIC program focuses on funding for the creation of new energy solutions, fostering regional innovation, and bringing clean energy ideas to the marketplace.

Mary Ann Dickinson is celebrating 10 years at the Alliance for Water Efficiency, where she is President and CEO. This non-profit organization is dedicated to promoting the efficient and sustainable use of water in the US and Canada, and is a global "go-to" resource because of its prolific publication of research, education and numerous water efficiency tools, listed here.

WaterTAP Ontario and the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA) combined forces to host a one-day workshop on decentralized wastewater systems.

As we prepare for the holidays in our warm comfortable homes where we’ll exchange expensive presents...let us not forget about all those still suffering from the effects of this year’s series of hurricanes. We remember the magnitude of Harvey then Irma and then Maria that devastated entire nations in the Caribbean.

Released by the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources, Collaborative Consent and British Columbia’s Water: Towards Watershed Co-Governance lays out a viable model for achieving a critical shift towards more equitable nation-to-nation relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, with a specific focus on freshwater governance in B.C.

The report takes a detailed look at collaborative consent, how it differs from other collaborative and partnership processes, and includes case studies on how elements of it have been used in B.C., Canada and internationally.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change released the Minister’s Annual Report on Drinking Water 2017. This report is available online at ontario.ca/drinkingwater.

It showcases how Ontario is taking action to protect drinking water and water resources.

Supporting data on Drinking Water Quality and Enforcement is available on the Open Data Catalogue.

The Call for presentations is now open for the 2018 National Water and Wastewater Conference from November 4-7, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec.

The Window on Ottawa is CWWA's core event featuring presentations and panel discussions on federal and national policies from the federal departments and national organizations making policy decisions.

Browse CWWA and our partner's 2018 events.

Edmonton Journal

Coastal communities from Maine to California have been put on notice from one of the top credit rating agencies: Start preparing for climate change or risk losing access to cheap credit.

In a report to its clients Tuesday, Moody’s Investors Service Inc. explained how it incorporates climate change into its credit ratings for state and local bonds. If cities and states don’t deal with risks from surging seas or intense storms, they are at greater risk of default.

Water Canada

A group of local organizations have come together to develop the first ever "smart" stormwater technology pilot focused on reducing the risk of basement flooding during extreme weather events.

The stormwater technology pilot is a partnership project which includes the Environment Network, Greenland Engineering Consultants, Huronia Security and Monitoring, The Town of Collingwood, RainGrid, and Safe Sump. The main motivation for this pilot study is to develop a smarter way to overcome basement flooding, an expensive and frustrating event that occurs in homes built in low lying areas.

Water Canada

The District of Sparwood, British Columbia has commenced work on locating a new community drinking water supply near Cummings Creek.

An Environmental Assessment Report joint submission by the District and Teck earlier this fall included the replacement of Well #3. Wells #1 and #2 remain unaffected, and Teck has agreed to reimburse the cost of constructing a replacement well and the related infrastructure. The District and Teck are taking a proactive approach to securing a sustainable independent water source not influenced by mining activities. The work is funded by Teck in consultation with the Interior Health Authority and regulations of the Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy.

Water Canada

Following the fourth annual Chiefs of Ontario Leaders in the Legislature event in Toronto, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day released a joint statement that covers issues addressed during the leaders meeting, including the use of traditional knowledge to protect water resources.

IWA: The Source

Of all the ways to die, one most lends itself to murderous intent. Arsenic is a highly toxic chemical that has no taste, colour or smell. A victim’s symptoms from a single effective dose will resemble food poisoning: abdominal cramping, diarrheoa, vomiting, followed by death from shock. There’s no simple or easy cure. From the Roman Empire through to the Victorian Age, such a fatal combination made arsenic the perfect killing agent.

Municipal World

I have long been concerned with the proposition that not only public servants, but also all citizens, are necessarily "independent moral actors."

The phrase derives from Harvard political scientist Dennis Thompson, who has promulgated arguments relating to the ethic of neutrality and the ethic of structure.

By the ethic of neutrality, administrators are not to be expected to act on moral principles of their own, or to apply personal values, but to discover what the government intends. Debate is permissible only to the point of policy decision, and thereafter inapplicable and inappropriate. By the ethic of structure, administrators are not, in general terms, to be held morally responsible for government policies and decisions; their personal moral responsibility extends only to the duties within the limits of their own office.

The Water Network

The Water ​Network team ​had the ​pleasure to ​interview ​Jack Sim, the founder ​of The World ​Toilet ​ Organization ​and the man ​behind the ​World Toilet ​Day. ​

Three years of ​an individual'​s life are ​spent on the ​toilet. The ​average person ​uses the toilet ​approximately ​six times per ​day, 2.200 ​times per year. ​