Canadian Water Network
{{Short description|Canadian non-profit organization}}
Canadian Water Network (CWN) is a hub for cross-sector collaboration to address Canada’s water challenges and opportunities.
As a non-partisan, non-profit organization, CWN works with a wide range of organizations and individuals with diverse perspectives and expertise to solve today’s complex water issues. Its partners and collaborators include government decision-makers, water managers, public health practitioners, community-based and Indigenous organizations, and representatives from water-dependent economic sectors, among others.
Its headquarters are currently located in Waterloo, Ontario, on the University of Waterloo campus. Canadian Water Network is a member of the Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC),{{Cite web|url=http://www.globalwaterresearchcoalition.net/about-us/gwrc-members/|title=GWRC Membership}} an international water research alliance.
History
Canadian Water Network was established in 2001 as a Network of Centres of Excellence (NCE) in response to Walkerton's drinking water crisis. From 2001 to 2015, CWN was funded by the Canadian government to help decision-makers access and apply relevant research to manage risks to the safety, security and abundance of Canada's water resources. In 2015, Canadian Water Network transitioned to a self-sustaining organization.{{Cite web|url=https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/nces-facing-funding-cut-off-get-thrown-lifeline/|title=Research networks facing funding cut-off get thrown a lifeline|last=GLAUSER|first=Wendy|date=November 7, 2017|website=University Affairs}} It is governed by a board of directors representing government, municipal water utilities, non-profits and industry. In 2022, CEO Bernadette Conant{{Cite web|url=http://blog.cdnsciencepub.com/women-in-science-bernadette-conant/|title=Women in Science: Bernadette Conant|last=Boon|first=Sarah|date=December 17, 2017|website=Canadian Science Publishing}} passed the leadership of CWN to successor Nicola Crawhall.
Canadian Municipal Water Consortium
In 2009, Canadian Water Network established the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium. The consortium is a national network of water utility leaders with a common goal of advancing sustainable, equitable and resilient urban water management. It provides a platform for leaders to share their knowledge and approaches to municipal water management and explore strategic issues on the horizon. Currently, the consortium supports senior decision-makers from 25 municipal water departments and utilities that collectively serve over 25 million people across Canada.{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Municipal Consortium |url=https://cwn-rce.ca/municipal-consortium/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Canadian Water Network |language=en-CA}}
Program areas
Canadian Water Network initiatives bring together leaders from different fields and sectors to learn from each other, share knowledge and work together to make a difference. CWN is working in three interconnected program areas.{{Cite web |last=Chattha |first=Simran |title=What we do |url=https://cwn-rce.ca/what-we-do/ |access-date=2024-09-20 |website=Canadian Water Network |language=en-CA}}
- Water and communities: Helping communities and water-reliant economic sectors find solutions that effectively increase climate resilience and minimize GHG emissions.
- Water and health: Protecting human health from water-related risks and promoting health through proactive solutions.
- Water and climate: Helping leaders make more informed decisions about providing safe drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services.
In 2017, Canadian Water Network led a National Expert Panel on Canada's challenges and opportunities to address contaminants in wastewater. The findings from the panel were released in a report in 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/vancouver/2018/04/30/expert-panel-calls-for-holistic-approach-to-wastewater-management.html|title=Expert panel calls for holistic approach to wastewater management|last=Cruickshank|first=Ainslie|date=April 30, 2018|work=Toronto Star}}
From 2004 to 2024, Canadian Water Network offered a leadership development program for students and young professionals in water.{{Cite web |last=admin |title=Students & Young Professionals |url=https://cwn-rce.ca/students-and-young-professionals/ |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=Canadian Water Network |language=en-CA}}
References
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External links
- {{Official website|http://www.cwn-rce.ca}}
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