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  • Connecting Water Resources 2013: Changing the Water Paradigm

    Connecting Water Resources 2013 Changing the water paradigmWater is key to life, determining our public and environmental health and providing the foundation for much of our economic function. This ubiquitous nature of water and its significance to so many facets of life has often made its effective management a challenge, as it requires the collaborative input of so many to make decisions.

    Increasingly, those addressing water management recognize that success must extend beyond technological solutions for isolated challenges and take action within more systemic approaches that more appropriately assess options and implications and balance the impacts of competing uses of water and related resources. By stepping back, and allowing ourselves to rethink the paradigms through which we are approaching the challenges, possibilities for progress emerge.

    At Connecting Water Resources 2013: Changing the Water Paradigm, the event highlighted the particular possibilities that exist for progress and innovation in water management by changing the way we collectively approach the issues and the challenges for water management. Whereas the event provided a focus on the ways in which new technologies can be applied to advantage, a significant portion of the discussions helped focus on where innovations and progress are to be made through new ways of applying existing and emerging research, knowledge and technologies to both policy and practice.

    The event featured a mix of high-profile international speakers from government, academia and the private sector, provided examples and case studies of changed and changing paradigms that will provide the fuel for attendees looking for possibilities. It was the hallmark of CWN to bring the important pieces together to catalyze progress; a variety of networking opportunities and identification of future collaborations were key elements of this flagship event.

    Thank you for joining us at Connecting Water Resources 2013, and sharing in the excitement of changing the water paradigm.

    Bernadette Conant CWN executive director

    Bernadette Conant
    Executive Director, Canadian Water Network

    Thank you to our supporters and sponsors for making Connecting Water Resoures 2013 a huge success!

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  • National Chief Shawn Atelo03 3 2

    Remarks on Thursday, March 21st

    National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo
    Assembly of First Nations

    National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo is a Hereditary Chief from the Ahousaht First Nation. In July 2012, A-in-chut was elected to a second consecutive three-year mandate as National Chief to the Assembly of First Nations.

    Advancing a vision of supporting and enabling the success of every First Nation on the basis of their rights and responsibilities, National Chief Atleo and the National Executive have taken forward a bold plan of action and engagement with all sectors of Canadian society. First Nations from across Canada supported A-in-chut in confirming education as a top priority for the Assembly. Since then, A-in-chut has been a tireless advocate for First Nations by spending time in First Nations in every region of the country, with federal, provincial and territorial leaders and with national and international audiences.

    Previously, A-in-chut served two terms as Regional Chief of the BC AFN. Committed to the principles of working together through inclusion and respect, he forged the historic Leadership Accord among First Nations leadership in BC in 2005.

    In 2008, A-in-chut’s commitment to education was recognized in his appointment as Chancellor of Vancouver Island University, becoming BC’s first Indigenous Chancellor. He has been honoured to receive several Honourary Doctorate of Laws degrees from universities throughout Canada. He also received the University of Technology (Sydney) Alumni Award for Excellence 2011 in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. In February, 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his advocacy work on behalf of First Nations across Canada.

    A-in-chut began his career as a facilitator, trainer and entrepreneur working with and for First Nations peoples. He holds a Masters of Education from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia (in partnership with University of British Columbia, University of the Western Cape South Africa, and University of Linkoping Sweden).

    A-in-chut is supported by and gains strength from his partner of 26 years, Nancy, and their two adult children, Tyson and Tara. Traditional teachings have guided A-in-chut to serve First Nations as a leader, facilitator, mediator, planner and teacher.   
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    Banquet Speaker on Wednesday, March 20th

    Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan

    Managing Director, Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, Wharton University of Pennsylvania
    Adj. Associate Professor, Operations and Information Management Department, Wharton University of Pennsylvania

    Dr. Erwann O. Michel-Kerjan (a.k.a. EMK), is an authority on managing the risks, the financial impact and the business and public policy challenges and opportunities associated with catastrophic events. Think floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis or global climate change and environmental disasters. Think also devastating terrorist attacks, pandemics, financial and economic upheavals.

    Originally from Brittany in France, he completed his PhD in economics and finance in 2002 at age 26, then joined the Wharton School (Philadelphia, PA – USA). Dr. Erwann Michel-Kerjan currently teaches Value Creation in the MBA program of the Wharton School (Philadelphia, PA – USA). He is also Managing Director of the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, which for more than 25 years has been at the forefront of research into the development of strategies and policies for dealing with catastrophic risks.

    Recently named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (Davos), Erwann advises businesses, heads of state and senior policymakers, international organizations and foundations around the world on how to build resilience against those events and develop innovative solutions that create value. Since 2008 he also serves as Chairman of the OECD Secretary-General Advisory Board on Financial Management of Catastrophes (34 member countries).

    Award-winning author, he has given over 150 public speeches. His view of the future is simple: the world will see more and more of these unprecedented events, devastating catastrophes. As the 2000s decade has clearly proven to be the case, we –as individuals, companies, society– need to completely re-think the way we approach these questions.

     

     

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    Helmi A. Ansari

    Director Sustainability and Org. Capability
    PepsiCo Foods Canada

    Helmi is a consumer packaged goods industry professional with expertise in operations management, sustainable corporate and supply chain transformation, and organizational capability. He also has broad experience in manufacturing supply chains having worked in over a dozen food and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the USA and Canada with leading companies such as PepsiCo and H.J. Heinz.

    Currently Helmi is the Director of Sustainability and Organizational Capability with PepsiCo Foods Canada where he is responsible for leading the company’s agenda on environmental sustainability and organizational capability for operations.

    He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. Helmi was recognized for his efforts in the Sustainability field by being named to Canada’s Clean 50 list in 2012.

    Helmi and his wife have 3 daughters, and they are settled in Cambridge Ontario.
     Jean Francois Barsoum2

    Jean-François Barsoum

    Senior Managing Consultant, Smarter Cities (Water and Transportation)
    IBM

    After joining IBM as a Strategy Consultant in the 1990s, Jean-François Barsoum developed business plans and corporate strategies for corporations and varied organisations of all sizes, such as financial institutions, higher education, professional associations, pharmaceutical and telecommunications companies.

    He has been invited as keynote speaker on themes ranging from smarter cities to innovation and climate change in Canada, the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia. In 2008, he was chosen by Al Gore's Climate Reality Project and was trained by the Nobel Peace laureate as a speaker on climate change science. He has since delivered lectures on that topic to elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, federal and provincial government ministries, and private corporations. In 2011, he joined the board of directors of the Canadian arm of the Climate Reality Project. He is also member of the David Suzuki Foundation's Quebec steering committee.
    Ron Bonnett

    Ron Bonnett

    President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

    Ron Bonnett, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), has had a long and varied career in agriculture.

    In the mid-1980s, Ron became the founding president of the Algoma Federation of Agriculture, where he helped combat high interest rates. He also was engaged in municipal politics during this time. He served as councilor and reeve of the Township of Plummer where he advocated for rural economic development, inter-municipal cooperation and a strong agriculture sector.

    In 1997, Ron sat on the provincial board of directors for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and OFA executive. He was the OFA Vice-President for two years, and also served as the OFA President for four years. During his time with OFA, Ron sat on the CFA National Council and CFA executive, before becoming 2nd Vice-President in February 2007. He has held the role of CFA President since June 2010.

    He is currently CFA’s representative for Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) Advisory Committee and Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC). As an advocate of agriculture at the international level, Ron sits on the Board of Directors for the World Farmers’ Organization as the North American representative and played a lead role in the development of the organization, acting as interim President.

    In addition to his work at CFA, he is also the current President of Beef Improvement Ontario and planning committee chair for Ontario’s Agricultural Management Institute.

    In 1975, Ron and his wife, Cathy, bought a dairy farm in Bruce Mines, located in Northern Ontario, which they operated until 1995. Since 1995, they have operated a cow/calf farm. Ron Bonnett and his wife Cathy have a son, Terry, and a daughter, Veronica, and four young grandchildren.
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    Richard A. Butts

    Director General, Cross-Sectoral Strategic Direction Directorate
    Science & Technology Branch, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

    Dr. Richard A. Butts is Director General of the Cross-Sectoral Strategic Direction directorate of the Science & Technology Branch, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada. This directorate is responsible for the strategic direction and planning for the branch.

    He worked in the agri-chemical industry for 2 years and Alberta Agriculture Extension for 8 years.  Dr. Butts received his Ph.D, (Entomology) from the University Manitoba.

    He worked as a Research Scientist with AAFC, at the Lethbridge Research Centre starting in 1988, studying the overwintering behaviour and pest management of aphids and plant bugs.

    In 1997, he became Head, Crop Sciences section where scientists studied sustainable production systems.  An important part of the section was the pulse program which included the study of pulse diseases, as well as, a bean breeding program.

    In 1999, he was appointed Head, Land Resources section where programs focused on environmental impacts of agriculture.  In 2000, Dr. Butts moved to Fredericton to become Director of the Potato Research Centre in Fredericton, and in 2001, he assumed the leadership role of Science Director.  In this role, he managed a national research program coordinating numerous research projects in 18 research AAFC Centres across Canada studying the impacts of agriculture production systems on the water, air and soil quality.

    In 2009, Dr. Butts became Director General of the Agri-Environment Services Branch.   He led the Knowledge, Information, and Technology directorate which was responsible for Applied Research, Development of Decisions Support Systems and Science Coordination related to Agriculture’s impact on the environment.
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    Margaret Catley-Carlson

    Patron, Global Water Partnership

    Margaret Catley-Carlson operates at the Board level in support of improved water resource management and the twin issues of agricultural productivity and rural development.  Chair of the Foresight Advisory Committee for Group Suez Environment, the Crop Diversity Trust, member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water, the  IFDC (Fertilizer Council), World Food Prize and Syngenta Foundation Boards, of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water ,the Rosenberg Forum, the Canadian Water Network,

    President of CIDA 1983-89; Deputy ED UNICEF in New York 1981-1983; President Population Council in New York 1993-98; and Deputy Minister  Department of Health and Welfare 1989-92.  Eleven honorary degrees, Officer Order of Canada.

     

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    Mr. Xavier Chazelle

    Chairman, ACQUEAU (EUREKA Water Cluster)

    Xavier CHAZELLE graduated as an engineer in 1977 with a diploma from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA National Institute of Applied Sciences) in Lyon with a specialty in Electricity and Electronics.

    He then joined Dassault Electronique where he developed new electronic designs for various airborne systems, such as Low level flight, radar, and optronics. He was also in charge of international business for airborne radar.

    At the end of the 80’s, with the fall of the Berlin wall, he was appointed as Director of Diversification of the Dassault Electronique company, where he created new businesses in the field of commercial aviation. This dealt mainly with the development of new safety systems such as the GCAS (Ground Collision Avoidance System) or ground movement surveillance systems based on the electronic scan radar. He is the owner of numerous patents in all those fields.

    At the end of the nineties, he moved to Thales after it was created by a large merger of two companies. In the first half of the 2000’s, he was appointed director of Advanced Airborne Surveillance Systems division, and Director of the logistics and support for the ground based radar systems of the Thales group.

    In 2005, He joined Veolia Environment as head of the Research and Development Division (responsible for all Veolia group activities: Water, Waste management, Energy, Transportation), and, in particular, in charge of international activities. During this time he managed to restructure, in cooperation with other companies, the European WssTP (Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform).

    Further on, in 2009, he launched the industry-led water technology consortium, ACQUEAU, with 5 other European companies; ACQUEAU, is now an important Eureka R&D Cluster dealing with all water related technologies, officially sanctioned by EUREKA in Munich in April 2010.

    In 2011, Mr. Chazelle established a Consulting company. Mr. Chazelle also serves as the Chair of the ACQUEAU Cluster under EUREKA. ACQUEAU is supported by 22 European countries and by Israel and the European Union.
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    William J. Cosgrove

    Senior Research Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
    Project Director, Global Water Scenarios Project
    Member of Gulbenkian Foundation Think Tank on Water and Humanity
    Chair of the Board, Water Economics, Policy and Governance Research Network (Canada)

    William J. Cosgrove received his B. Eng. and M. Eng. and Honorary Doctorate of Science from McGill University. He has followed other graduate courses in economics, management and cross-cultural studies. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Project Director of the Global Water Scenarios Project being carried out by IIASA in collaboration with the UN World Water Assessment Program and a member of the Gulbenkian Foundation Think Tank on Water and Humanity. He is Chair of the Board of the Water Economics, Policy and Governance Research Network (Canada).

    Mr. Cosgrove is a former Vice President of the World Bank, Past-President of the World Water Council and served as Chairman of the International Steering Committee of the Dialogue on Water and Climate. He was Content Coordinator for the 3rd edition (2009) and Senior Advisor for the 4th edition (2012) of the United Nations World Water Development Report. From 2005-2008 he was President of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement in Québec. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and of the Association of Professional Futurists.

    His more recent publications include The Dynamics of Global Water Futures: Driving Forces 2011–2050; World Water Vision: Making Water Everybody's Business; and Water Security and Peace: A Synthesis of Studies prepared for UNESCO under the PCCP-Water for Peace Process. He also was author of ‘Public Participation to Promote Water Ethics and Transparency’ in Water and Ethics and ‘Water for Growth and Security’ in World Water Crisis: Myth or Reality?
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    Simon C. Courtenay

    DFO Research Scientist, Canadian Rivers Institute, UNB Fredericton
    Gulf Fisheries Centre

    Simon is a DFO Research Scientist co-located at the Canadian Rivers Institute in the Biology Department of UNB Fredericton and the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton NB.  He is interested in the plants and animals found in estuaries and how human activities affect estuarine ecology. Simon’s group works with the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability to manage the Community Aquatic Monitoring Program (CAMP), a beach seining program undertaken during the summer months by environmental groups in 35 estuaries and bays of the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

    Begun in 2003, CAMP has now become DFO’s major contribution to the Northumberland Strait – Environmental Monitoring Partnership (NorSt-EMP).  NorSt-EMP is funded by the Canadian Water Network as one of several geographic nodes in the Canadian Watershed Research Consortium.  Simon serves as coordinator for NorSt-EMP and is working with CRI Science Directors Mike van den Heuvel, Kerry MacQuarrie and André St-Hilaire to develop a monitoring framework in support of cumulative effects assessment for the watersheds of Northumberland Strait.   He also participates in research for the other NB node of the CWN Watershed Research Consortium, the Saint John Harbour – Environmental Monitoring Partnership (SJH-EMP).
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    Annie Daigle

    Hydrogeologist, Natural Gas Group
    Government of New Brunswick

    Annie Daigle is a hydrogeologist with the government of New Brunswick and currently holds the position of Provincial Water Resource Specialist in the Department of Environment and Local Government. She has spent the last ten years evaluating the impacts of various projects and activities on groundwater and provincial water resources and participating in regional and national committees on water resource management. Annie obtained a Master of Science degree in Geology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from the University of New Brunswick and is both a Professional Engineer and a Professional Geoscientist. Since April 2011 she has been assigned to the provincial government’s Natural Gas Group, where she has focused on the development of new provincial regulations and the identification and analysis of water resource issues and pertaining to shale gas development.

     
     Michael DAndrea 2013

    Michael D'Andrea

    Director, Water Infrastructure Management, Toronto Water

    Michael D’Andrea has over 27 years of experience in the water and wastewater services industry, having worked in engineering consulting and with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, before joining the City of Toronto in 1997.

    In his current role, Michael is responsible for asset management, infrastructure planning, capital programming and policy development in support of the City of Toronto’s water, wastewater and stormwater management infrastructure, valued at an estimated $28 billion.  He is responsible for the development of Toronto Water’s annual capital budget, valued at approximately $660 million in 2013.

    His responsibilities include overall management of Toronto's geospatial sewer and watermain infrastructure and condition assessment data registry, and the coordination of infrastructure planning studies that support Toronto Water's short and long-term capital planning needs while addressing an infrastructure renewal backlog estimated at $1.6 billion. 

    He has led several environmental stewardship initiatives including the development of the City of Toronto’s Water Efficiency Plan with the goal of achieving in-system capacity and deferring costly infrastructure expansion to support future growth needs; and the Wet Weather Flow Master Plan addressing the impacts of storm sewer and combined sewer overflow discharges with the goal of improving water quality along Toronto's waterfront and within its six watersheds.

    More recently, Michael directed the development of a climate change adaptation strategy to help reduce the risk of flooding from extreme storm events and protect City infrastructure and private property.  The city-wide strategy represents a significant re-build of storm drainage and municipal infrastructure. 

    Michael has a B.E.Sc. and M.E.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario.
     Brian Doucette

    Brian Doucette

    Director, Environmental Excellence, Sustainable Development, Operations Support Group
    Suncor Energy Inc.

    Brian Doucette, Director, Environmental Excellence is responsible for leading the development of Suncor’s environmental strategy which includes the development of  long term goals that will help reduce Suncor’s environmental impact. He is Suncor’s Steering Committee Representative for the COSIA (Canadian Oil Sands Innovation Alliance) doe the Water EPA( Environmental Performance Area) and prior to this he led the OSLI (Oil Sands Leadership Initiative) Water Management Working Group which are industry collaboration groups that work collaboratively to reduce the water footprint through implementation of innovative ideas. His team is also looking for technology and innovations that can help reduce its resource intensity of its products and create new energy solutions. Brian previously held various roles in Suncor Oil Sands Business Unit in Fort McMurray. These roles focused on process innovation and optimization, project development, energy and water management and Engineering leadership. He has 22 years of experience with Suncor and  holds a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick.
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    Ian Douglas, P.Eng.

    Water Quality Engineer
    City of Ottawa

    Ian has 25 years of experience in design, research, and plant operations—both in the environmental and industrial sector.  After working 5 years in the petrochemical industry, he moved into the area of drinking water quality and treatment.  He earned degrees in both Chemistry (1984) and Chemical Engineering (1987) from the University of Western Ontario.  As Water Quality Engineer for the City of Ottawa, he has worked on more than 50 research and optimization projects with partner organizations such as the Water Research Foundation, NSERC, Health Canada, CIDA and several Canadian universities.  Under Ian’s leadership, the City of Ottawa has been recognized as a North American leader in process optimization and applied research.  During 2007 Ian spent a 1-year work term with Health Canada working on microbial risk assessment and various treatment guidelines.  He was recently appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at University of Toronto where he advises students in the areas of drinking water treatment, process optimization, and microbial risk assessment.  During 2010, he was also appointed to the Ontario Drinking Water Advisory Council (ODWAC) which advises the Minister of Environment on matters related to drinking water quality and testing standards.    

     
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    Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C.

    President and CEO, Council of Canadian Academies &
    Former UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP,
    Founding President & CEO NWMO
    Toronto, ON

    Elizabeth Dowdeswell’s eclectic public service career has spanned provincial, federal and international borders and transcended traditional disciplinary lines.

    Ms. Dowdeswell served as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, Assistant Deputy Minister of Environment Canada, responsible for the National Weather and Atmospheric Agency and led a number of public inquiries, including into Canada’s unemployment benefits program and federal water policy. Her early career included terms as Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth for the Province of Saskatchewan, educational consultant, university lecturer and high school teacher.

    Ms. Dowdeswell was appointed a Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation mentor, is a Corporate Director, and contributes in an advisory capacity to a number of not-for-profit organizations

    Ms. Dowdeswell holds a Master of Science degree in behavioural sciences from Utah State University, a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics, a teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan and nine honorary degrees.
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    J. Carl Ganter

    Managing Director, Circle of Blue
    Vice-Chairman, World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water Security

    J. Carl Ganter is co-founder and director of Circle of Blue, the internationally recognized center for original frontline reporting, research, and analysis on water resource issues and their relationship to food and energy. Ganter is recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation Centennial Innovation Award 2012 and is vice-chairman of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Water Security. He is on the advisory boards of the U. S. Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and at the University of Alberta Water Initiative. 

    He is an award-winning photojournalist, reporter, and broadcaster whose work has appeared in most major magazines, newspapers, and television and radio networks.  He earned his MSJ in investigative and magazine writing at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism after graduating with honors from the University’s American Studies Program. 
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    William L. Goodfellow, Jr.

    Vice President and Business Unit Director
    EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc.

    Bill Goodfellow is Vice President and Business Unit Director for EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), where he manages the company’s practice for Water, Natural Resources, and Ecotoxicology.  He earned a B.S. from York College of Pennsylvania in Biology as well as a degree in Chemistry, and an M.S. from the University of Maryland Appalachian Environmental Laboratory at Frostburg State University (MD) in Fishery Management with emphasis in aquatic toxicology.   Bill has more than 30 years of experience in watershed management, environmental toxicology, and bioassessments.  His technical responsibilities include:  design and performance of Toxicity Reduction Evaluations (TRE); environmental assessment of contaminants in surface water, groundwater, and sediment and their toxicological risk associated with potential contaminants of concern; conceptual and experimental evaluations on the toxicity, fate, and effects of chemicals in aquatic ecosystems. 

    Bill currently serves as President of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry World Council (SETAC) and is a past President of SETAC-North America. He is also a member of the American Chemistry Society, Water Environment Federation, and the Society of American Military Engineers.  Mr. Goodfellow has been involved in organizing several large international meetings, most recently Meeting Co-Chair of the SETAC Focus Topic Meeting on the Gulf Oil Spill.  Over 250 scientific and engineering professionals from government, academia and industry met in Pensacola Beach FL to present their findings on Oil Spill Response and Incident Command, Control and Abatement, Fate, Transport and Tracking Technology, Ecosystem Effects, Seafood Contamination and Human Health, Ecological Risk and Damage Assessment, Response Technology Effectiveness and Communication Challenges and Solutions.

    He has served as a peer reviewer for US EPA’s Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing program, US EPA’s Sediment TIE Program, US EPA’s Ammonia Freshwater Criteria, and the Canadian Water Network.  He is also a member of the joint task group on aquatic toxicology for Standard Methods for the Examination Water and Wastewater, and has taught many short courses.  He was also a senior author of an ASTM standard guide on sediment toxicity.  He has authored over 125 papers, contributed chapters to several books on various environmental issues, including sediment and dredged material testing, whole effluent toxicity testing, and Toxicity Identification Evaluations and served as an editor for a comprehensive book on Toxicity Identification Evaluations for effluents, aqueous waters and sediments. 
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    Ben Grumbles

    President, U.S. Water Alliance

    Ben Grumbles is President of the U.S. Water Alliance–a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to uniting people and policy for “one water” sustainability. The Alliance also focuses on the connections between water and energy, land, food and transportation. Mr. Grumbles has served as Director of Arizona’s Department of Environmental Quality, Assistant Administrator for Water at U.S. EPA overseeing its National Water Program,  and as counsel/staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives on both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Science Committee. Ben has a Masters Degree in environmental law from George Washington University, a J.D. from Emory University Law School, and a B.A. from Wake Forest University.
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    Tatiana Heid Furley

    Technical Director - Aplysia Environmental Consulting Company
    CEO - APLYSIA Institute
    Director – Brazilian Ecotoxicology Society

    Tatiana is a biologist who earned both her masters and doctorate degrees in biological oceanography from Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo Federal University - Brazil. She has dedicated her last 20 years coordinating industrial effluents and aquatic ecosystems, monitoring studies concerning environmental aspects.

    In 1997 she founded the Aplysia Environmental Consulting Company, a Brazilian company specialized in environmental monitoring, diagnosis and ecotoxicology studies. This company has clients from large industrial sectors like oil and gas, mining, steel industry, pulp and paper, such as Petrobras, Vale, Arcellor and Fibria, respectively.  From the environmental diagnostics of industrial effluents, Aplysia over the years began to investigate in detail the internal effluents from industries reaching the source of the environmental problems, closing the link between the "cause and effect". In 2011, Aplysia partnered with the global Metso in a global pioneering project to solve the environmental problem at its source, within the production process. Due to this project, Tatiana was voted Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 of Espirito Santo State in Brazil.

    In 2009, she founded the APLYSIA Institute that aims to develop methodologies and technologies to protect the water ecosystems. Since then, she has been dedicated to developing projects that integrate national and international participants from academia, government and industry.

    Most recently she was elected director of the Ecotoxicology Brazilian Society and works to increase the participation of industry and government in the Society and in the Congress that today are primarily frequented by academics.

     
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    Lorne Hepworth

    President, CropLife Canada

    Lorne Hepworth is President of CropLife Canada, the trade association representing developers, manufacturers and distributors of plant science innovations for use in agriculture, urban and public health settings.

    Dr. Hepworth is currently the Chair of the Board of Genome Canada and a member of the Board of CARE Canada, on the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund Scientific Advisory Committee and sits on the expert panel on sustainability management of water in agriculture. He has also served as a member of the Advisory Board of the National Research Council of Canada, Plant Biotechnology Institute, the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council, the federal Pest Management Advisory Committee and National Biotechnology Advisory Committee. 

    A graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan (1971), Dr. Hepworth was a veterinarian in Alberta and Saskatchewan until 1982, when he was elected to Saskatchewan’s Legislative Assembly. He subsequently served nine years in Cabinet, during which he was minister of Agriculture, Education, Finance, and Energy and Mines. From 1993 to 1997, he held several executive positions with the Canadian Agra group of companies specializing in agri-food/feed production, processing and marketing.

    Steve Hrudey

    Steve E. Hrudey

    Professor Emeritus, Analytical & Environmental Toxicology
    Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
    University of Alberta

    Dr. Steve E. Hrudey, Professor Emeritus, Analytical & Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, has been engaged in research and environmental risk management practice for 40 years. He has served on more than 25 expert panels including the Research Advisory Panel to the Walkerton Inquiry, an international expert panel advising the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding drinking water quality risks for Washington, D.C. and the expert panel on Safe Drinking Water for First Nations in Canada.

    Dr. Hrudey was elected a Fellow of the International Water Association in 2010, a Fellow of the Society for Risk Analysis in 2007, a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Canada in 2006.  Dr. Hrudey was awarded an honorary DSc from the University of Alberta in 2012 and the 2012 A.P. Black Award, the top research prize of the American Water Works Association. He has co-authored or edited over 165 refereed journal articles, 9 books, 26 book chapters, 22 expert panel reports, and more than 100 other publications in the environmental health sciences.
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    Ernie Hui

    Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Monitoring, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

    Ernie Hui, Chief Executive Officer, Environmental Monitoring, is responsible for leading Alberta’s transition to a world-class environmental monitoring system, and the creation of a new arms-length public agency to lead the monitoring system.

    Since 1989, Ernie has served in a number of different and progressive roles within the Government of Alberta, including the position of Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, and Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy. 

    Ernie led the creation of the Monitoring and Science branch within the department of Environment, and has also led significant change initiatives that helped to shift Alberta’s management focus from a “single-activity” regulatory approach to its current outcomes focused cumulative effects management approach. 

    He has also been extensively involved in water allocation issues having spent time involved in water allocation licensing, and in managing the development of the province’s Water Act, which is the primary water allocation legislation in Alberta.

    Ernie’s education background is in engineering.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta.
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    Kevin Jones

    President and CEO, The Bloom Centre for Sustainability

    Kevin is a business executive with more than 25 years of diversified experience in the private and public sector. He has expertise in business and strategic planning, policy formulation, stakeholder management and sustainability integration. Currently, he is the President and CEO of The Bloom Centre for Sustainability where he provides the vision, leadership and strategic direction for the organization.

    Kevin has led, designed and managed several award-winning sustainability initiatives in the industrial manufacturing, property redevelopment, clean technology and municipal sectors. In 2010, in collaboration with XPV Capital, he led the preparation of The Water Opportunity for Ontario report to position Ontario as a leader in water technologies and sustainable water use. Kevin is currently leading strategic initiatives to drive change and advance adoption of innovative water and energy solutions in Ontario's $39 billion food and processing sector. A key aspect and success factor of these initiatives is connecting the linkages between water and energy use, food sector profitability, infrastructure renewal and economic development.

    Kevin has an Executive MBA from Athabasca University, a Master of Science in Environmental Planning from the University of Toronto, and an Honours B.A. from McMaster University.

     
     David Lapp

    David Lapp

    Manager, Professional Practice, Secretariat to the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board

    David graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering from the University of Toronto in 1978 and spent nearly 20 years as an engineering consultant, including more than 10 years as owner and principal of a small consulting firm. He is a professional engineer, registered in Ontario. He joined Engineers Canada in July 1997 and served initially as a Director and now as Manager, Professional Practice as part of the Secretariat to the Canadian Engineering Qualifications Board. In recent years his work has focused on environment, sustainability and climate change issues and their relationship to the practice of engineering.

    David supported Engineers Canada’s first national action plan on climate change impacts and adaptation from 2004 to 2011 and supports the second action plan on climate change that started in 2012. From 2005 to the present, he has served as project manager for a long-term national project to assess the engineering vulnerability of Canadian public infrastructure to the impacts of climate change. This project has developed an infrastructure climate risk assessment tool known as the PIEVC Engineering Protocol. David provides advice and ongoing technical and administrative support for applications of the Protocol.

    Since November 2007, David has managed the Secretariat for the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Committee on Engineering and the Environment, hosted and chaired by Engineers Canada. This assignment continues until December 2015.
     Rob de Loe Head shot formal 2011

    Rob de Loë

    University Research Chair, Water Policy and Governance, University of Waterloo
    Director, Water Policy and Group

    Rob de Loë holds the University Research Chair in Water Policy and Governance at the University of Waterloo, and is Director of the multi-university Water Policy and Group (www.wpgg.ca). Previously he held the Canada Research Chair in Water Management at the University of Guelph.

    During the past two decades, Rob has written extensively about water management and governance in relation to topics such as source water protection, water allocation, and climate change adaptation. His advice on water policy and governance concerns is widely sought by government and non-government organizations. He is a frequent speaker about water to audiences that include both leaders in business and government and members of the general public.

    During 2008-12 Rob chaired the Advisory Panel for the Royal Bank of Canada’s Blue Water project, a $50 million, 10-year charitable grant program to support fresh water conservation, protection and accessibility. In 2010, in recognition of his contributions to graduate education, he was awarded the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision at the University of Waterloo.
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    Don Lowry

    President and CEO, EPCOR

    Don Lowry has led the growth of EPCOR Utilities Inc. from its base in Edmonton, Alberta, into a North American power and water company. 

    In July 2009, Don initiated the next phase of EPCOR’s evolution with the spin-off of its power generation business into one of Canada’s largest investor-owned generation companies, Capital Power Corporation. The sale resulted in net proceeds to EPCOR of $2.6 billion.

    Under Don’s leadership, EPCOR has significantly increased the dividend to its Shareholder, the City of Edmonton. In just over a decade, it has paid more than $2 billion in dividends, franchise fees and taxes, while investing over $5 billion in the business through capital expenditures and business acquisitions. In 2012, EPCOR will increase its common dividend payment for the 12th  consecutive year.

    Today, EPCOR owns and/or operates water and wastewater facilities in Alberta and British Columbia, providing services to over one million people in more than 70 communities. Since entering the U.S. water market in 2010, it has become the largest private water supplier in Arizona and New Mexico. EPCOR is also an investor in Alberta’s oil sands where it provides potable water and domestic wastewater services in camp environments.  

    EPCOR also owns and operates electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure in the Edmonton area, and provides regulated rate electricity service to consumers in Edmonton and other areas within Alberta. EPCOR and AltaLink are equal partners on the Heartland Transmission Project, a $430-million investment that is expected to be in-service in late 2013.

    Prior to joining EPCOR, Don spent more than 20 years in the telecommunications industry. He was President and Chief Operating Officer of Telus Communications Inc. and Chairman of Alta Telecom.

    Don holds a B.Comm. (Honours) and an MBA from the University of Manitoba. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Advanced Management Program and the Banff School of Management.

    Don is currently non-executive Chair of Capital Power Corporation (TSX:CPX) non-executive Chair of Canadian Oil Sands (TSX:COS) and a director of the Canadian Electricity Association, the Conference Board of Canada, and the TELUS Community Foundation. He is a mentor with WomenOnBoard, an organization promoting the appointment of women to Canadian corporate boards since 2011 and was named a Women of Influence’s Canadian Diversity Champion in 2012.  He was recently appointed to the newly formed LRT Governance Board overseeing the construction of Edmonton’s new LRT extension. He is past Chair of the Canadian Electricity Association and past Chair of EPCOR Power L.P.  In 2010 Don was recognized as Alberta Venture magazine’s Business Person of the Year and under his leadership, EPCOR was named Alberta’s Best Workplace in 2012.  In 2004 EPCOR Utilities Inc. was the overall winner (both private and public boards) of the Conference Board of Canada’s National Awards in Corporate Governance.
     David Marshall 200912

    David Marshall

    Executive Director, Fraser Basin Council

    David Marshall, a professional engineer, is the founding Executive Director of the Fraser Basin Council. The Fraser Basin Council, established in 1997, is a non-government organization focusing on collaborative management and sustainability of Canada’s fifth largest river basin. It consists of a unique collaborative governance structure involving the public, private and non-governmental sectors and First Nations.

    From 1980-84 he managed one of Canada’s largest environmental and socio-economic assessments involving proposed oil and gas development in the Beaufort Sea. He was one of the originators of the GLOBE Series of international conferences and trade fairs on environmental technology when he co-chaired GLOBE 90 and 92. In May 1998, he received the National River Conservation Award of Merit for his outstanding contribution to river conservation in Canada by the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. In September 2001 he was appointed the Chair of the Drinking Water Review Panel by the Government of British Columbia to review the effectiveness of the proposed Drinking Water Protection Act. From 2006-20010 he chaired the Board Advisory Committee on Sustainability Performance for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. 

    Mr. Marshall has conducted and participated in workshops on watershed management, sustainable development and environmental impact assessment in many parts of Canada, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Barbados, Jamaica, China, Indonesia, Brazil, the Middle East and The Philippines. 
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    David McInnes

    President and CEO, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute

    David McInnes is President and CEO of the Ottawa-based Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), an independent, non-partisan organization focused on advancing a national dialogue on emerging issues facing Canada’s agri-food sector. CAPI presents ideas on how the country’s agri-food sector – a sector that employs one in eight Canadians – can strive to be more profitable and competitive, while contributing to population health and more sustainable eco-systems (www.capi-icpa.ca).

    Previously, David was Vice-President, International Relations at MDS Nordion, a major life sciences company, and has worked for the Canadian Bankers Association, the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada. David is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Dalhousie University in Halifax. David is currently a director of WaterCan, an NGO dedicated to improving access to clean water in east Africa. He has been a director of the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and the U.S.-based Council of Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals. In addition to producing many published articles, David authored the book "Taking It to the Hill - the Complete Guide to Appearing Before Parliamentary Committees" (2nd edition).

     

     Miltenberger J Michael s

     

     

     

    J. Michael Miltenberger

    Minister of Finance
    Chairman of the Financial Management Board
    Minister of Environment and Natural Resources
    Minister Responsible for Northwest Territories Power Corporation
    Government House Leader

    J. Michael Miltenberger is one of the longest-serving Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, serving the constituents of Thebacha since his election in October 1995. His re-election to the 17th Legislative Assembly will mark his fifth consecutive term.

    Mr. Miltenberger served on the Executive Council of the 16th Assembly as Deputy Premier, Government House Leader, Minister of Finance, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities, Minister Responsible for Homelessness and the Minister Responsible for Seniors. During his time in the legislature he has served in a number of other portfolios as well. Mr. Miltenberger also stood as Chair of the Financial Management Board and leads the Committees on Climate Change and Refocusing Government.

    Born in Ottawa March 17, 1951, Mr. Miltenberger was raised in the Northwest Territories since 1962. He earned a B.A. (Sociology) from the University of Lethbridge and later recieved his certification as a Journeyman Carpenter through Arctic College in Fort Smith. Prior to his election to the legislature Mr. Miltenberger worked for the GNWT and served as councillor and mayor for the Town of Fort Smith.

    Mr. Miltenberger and his wife Jeri have one daughter, Michaela (Craig), and two grandchildren, Larissa and Jason.
    Nicholas Parker s

    Nicholas R. Parker

    Sustainability Entrepreneur, Investor & Public Servant
    Founding Managing Partner, Cleantech Global Partners
    Senior Advisor, Blue Economy Initiative
    Chairman, Cleantech Group LLC and Corporate Knights Media Ltd

    For over a quarter century, Nicholas Parker has pioneered global sustainable enterprise and finance ideas and initiatives. He’s credited with introducing the “cleantech” concept to the investment and business community in 2002 by launching Cleantech Group, a market-leading research, events and advisory company based in San Francisco and London. CTG has helped mobilize over $4B in private equity for cleantech startups, convened over 10,000 decision-makers at Forums around the world, tracked and analysed over 16,000 cleantech innovators and served major corporations, governments and institutions in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

    In addition to continuing as non-executive Chair of CTG, Nicholas is Senior Advisor to the Blue Economy Initiative, a project dedicated to building the business case for water sustainability in Canada.  He is also Chair of Corporate Knights, the media company for clean capitalism, best known for the Global 100 rankings launched annually at the World Economic Forum in Davos. His main current focus is Cleantech Global Partners, a new investment company formed to take “growth stage companies into growth stage markets”, principally China.

    Previously Nicholas accumulated over 15 years experience starting and investing venture funds worldwide through limited partnerships, family offices, corporate funds and endowments. During this time, he initiated the first trans-Atlantic "sustainability" driven private equity fund and participated in one of the first solar IPOs. In the 1990s, he built and sold an environmental finance firm. Nicholas has authored or edited more than ten publications related to cleantech, finance and international business, starting with Investing in Emerging Economies in 1993, co-published by The Economist and the International Finance Corporation.

    He serves on several public sector and non-profit boards including Premier’s Climate Change Advisory Panel, Government of Singapore Energy International Advisory Panel, Canadian Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research and the Network for Business Sustainability (an academic research group). From 2003-08, he was Chairman of E+Co, the award-winning investment company for clean energy enterprises in developing countries.

    Nicholas earned a BA Hons. in Technology Studies (Carleton University, Ottawa), an MBA (City University, London), and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America while currently residing in Toronto. He is the father of Yasmin and Sanjay, an avid soccer fan, a keen cyclist and swimmer, a mindfulness practitioner, and a lover of the natural world.
     Usha Rao-Monari

    Usha Rao-Monari

    Director, Sustainable Business Advisory
    The International Finance Corporation (The World Bank Group)

    Usha Rao-Monari is currently the Director of the Sustainable Business Advisory Department in the International Finance Corporation. 

    Ms. Rao-Monari joined the IFC in 1990, and has since gained substantial experience in the Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Petrochemicals sectors in several countries and regions of the world.  In 1998, she assumed the position of Regional Manager for Manufacturing and Services for South Asia and Country Head for India, based in IFC’s New Delhi regional office.  Subsequently, Ms. Rao-Monari assumed the position of Global Head responsible for IFC’s investment operations in the Utilities sectors, with a particular focus on urban infrastructure and natural gas.  In that role, she was instrumental in the formation of the Water Resources Group, a public-private platform housed in IFC which works with governments in transforming the water sectors in their countries.  Ms. Rao-Monari assumed her current position in 2012.  Her current department is responsible for working with companies and investors on issues of environmental and social sustainability, resource efficiency, clean energy, agribusiness/food security and strengthening of SMEs, supply chains and communities. 

    Ms. Rao-Monari holds an MBA from the Bajaj School of Management in Bombay, and a Masters in International Economics and Finance from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.  Prior to joining IFC, she was a Vice President at Prudential-Bache Capital Funding, working both in New York and London.
    Geoff Riggs 

    Geoff Riggs

    Global Business Services - Smarter Planet Project
    Manager, Business Development

    Geoff Riggs is an IBM project manager, Consultant and Business Development Manager whose career spans a wide range of technologies, industries and geographies. Geoff held technical positions in eBusiness and dot.com in Canada in the 90s, then shifted to Project Management while working in Europe in the petroleum practice area.

    In recent years Geoff has been involved in advancing IBM's Smarter Planet agenda, helping to develop and deploy industry-first Advanced Water Management technology to organizations that need help in serving fundamental community needs, and addressing broader efficiency and sustainability challenges. Geoff collaborates with subject matter experts within IBM and around the world to support the development of innovative, sustainable and transformative tools and techniques.

    Geoff demonstrates a passion for promoting Smarter Planet Solutions in water-stressed regions of the world and has led several philanthropic initiatives in this domain. He is the Gloal Smarter Water team leader for Canada, and serves on IBM's Sustainability Community. 

    Geoff complements his Commerce and IT degress with an MBA in Sustainable Development. Geoff and his family are based in Montreal.
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    David Rudolph

    Professor, Department of Earth Sciences
    University of Waterloo

    Dr. Rudolph is a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo specializing in regional hydrogeology and groundwater protection and management. Specific research interests include field investigation and numerical modeling related to groundwater flow and contaminant transport with a specific focus on regional groundwater flow systems, recharge dynamics and vadose zone processes. Dr. Rudolph has participated extensively with municipal authorities both nationally and internationally in groundwater development and management. Research applications have focused on assessing the impacts to water quality from agricultural land-use practices and he heads a Canada-wide research team working on prioritizing risk to water quality from various agricultural practices and evaluating performance of Beneficial Management Practices.
     hans schreier

    Hans Schreier

    Professor, Faculty of Land and Food Systems
    University of British Columbia

    Hans Schreier is a professor in the Faculty of Land & Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on watershed management, land-water interactions, soil and water pollution and GIS. He has worked extensively in watershed studies in many mountain regions of the world. In 1996 he was recognized by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for his contribution to improve water resources management in the developing world. In 1999 he received the Manaaki Whenua Fellowship Award by Landcare Research in New Zealand.  In 2000 he developed a WEB-based Certificate Program in Watershed Management that can be taken by graduate students and professionals from around the world by distance. So far over 1100 individuals from 24 different countries have participated in the program and all course material is now available on most mobile platforms. From 2003-2007 he was  Co-Leader of the Watershed Program of the Canadian Water Network National Centre of Excellence and he is a member of the Water Advisory Panel for the Columbia Basin Trust.

    In 2004 he received the “Science in Action” Award from The United Nations International Year of Fresh Water, Science & Education  Program, for outstanding work in making watershed management knowledge available in Canada and in Developing Countries. In 2008 he received the King Albert International Mountain Award for scientific accomplishment of lasing values to the world’s mountains. King Albert I Memorial Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland.
     Kevin Shafer 2010 2

    Kevin Shafer

    Executive Director
    Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

    Kevin Shafer became executive director at the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) in 2002.  Prior to this, he served as MMSD’s director of technical services since 1998.  Since becoming executive director, Shafer has been instrumental in providing the regional leadership in implementing grey and green infrastructure in MMSD facilities.  He has also advocated and implemented a private property inflow and infiltration program to reduce basement backups in ratepayer homes.

    He also coordinated a $58 million long-range planning process that produced the most intensive water quality research ever for six Milwaukee area watersheds.  Additionally, under his leadership, MMSD instituted a regional stormwater runoff rule and has been a leader for innovative ways to manage stormwater runoff.  Shafer’s leadership has helped improve regional cooperation, most notably with the creation of the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (Sweet Water), an organization that brings together representatives from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to improve the region’s water quality.  His leadership was recognized through the District’s receipt of the 2012 U.S. Water Prize, awarded by the Clean Water America Alliance.

    Prior to joining the District, Shafer spent 10 years in private industry with an international engineering firm in Chicago and Milwaukee, and six years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Fort Worth, Texas.  He is a past president of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies and currently serves as the Chair of the Clean Water America Alliance’s Urban Water Sustainability Leadership Council.

    Shafer received a bachelor’s degree in science and civil engineering with a specialty in water resources from the University of Illinois and a master’s in science and civil engineering from the University of Texas.  In 2007, Shafer received a National Award from Kodak American Greenways for MMSD’s pioneering Greenseams® Program.  In 2012, he was recognized by the University of Wisconsin’s LaFollette School of Public Affairs with the Lloyd D. Gladfelter Award, honoring his career of innovations aimed at implementing green infrastructure. 
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    Uldis Silins

    Professor, Department of Renewable Resources
    University of Alberta

    Uldis Silins is professor of Forest Hydrology at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on forested landscapes as critical features regulating Canadian water resources including the influence of natural resource development and natural disturbances on hydrology, water quality, and river health. His research spans impacts natural disturbances on water resources including that of shifting climates, Mountain Pine Beetle attack and wildfire, as well as impacts of forestry operations and integrated forest land management. He presently leads several large programs including the Southern Rockies Watershed Project in the southern Rockies of Alberta in close cooperation with Alberta Sustainable Resources Development along with number of allied programs with NSERC, Alberta Innovates Energy & Environmental Solutions, Foothills Research Institute, and the Canadian Water Network.
     Sara Jane Snook

    Sara Jane Snook

    Deputy Minister, Nova Scotia Environment

    Sara Jane Snook was appointed as Deputy Minister for Nova Scotia Environment in January 2011.

    Ms. Snook is a professional engineer with over twenty years experience in energy development, corporate finance and environmental regulation. Ms. Snook has a mix of private and public sector experience. She worked for the Nova Scotia Department of Mines and Energy and then Natural Resources for eleven years. She has been a Board Member of both the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and the National Energy Board. She worked in a large multi-national oil company and a major Canadian bank.

    She holds bachelors and masters degrees in Engineering from Dalhousie University as well as a Management Development Certificate from the University of Calgary.

    Ms. Snook is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of Nova Scotia and the Association of Professional Engineers, Goelogists and Geophysicists of Alberta, the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the International Women's Forum.  Ms. Snook is the current Chair of the Water Stewardship council overseeing the Council of the Federation Water Charter.
     Kim Sturgess Oct 2010

    Kim Sturgess

    CEO, WaterSmart

    A professional engineer, Kim is the founder and CEO of Alberta WaterSMART, a services organization committed to improving water management through better technologies and practices.  As the CEO of several technology based companies over her career, she has extensive experience in technology start-ups and technology management, as well as in oil and gas, pipelines, and industrial products and services.  She serves on the boards of CCI Thermal Technologies, the Calgary Airport Authority, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Council of Canadian Academies.  Formerly she served as a director of the Alberta Water Council, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the National Research Council, APEGA, the Alberta Economic Development Authority, and Queen's University.  Currently she is the Past President of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.  She has been recognized with the YWCA Women of Distinction award, the Global Woman of Vision award, the Distinguished Service Award and the Alumni Achievement Award from Queen's University, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Alberta Centennial Medal.  In 2007, she was named as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and in 2012 she was named Business Woman of the Year in Calgary by the Consumers Choice Awards. 
     Ted Van der Gulik s

    Ted van der Gulik

    Senior Engineer, Sustainable Agriculture Management Branch
    British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture

    Ted received his post-secondary education at the University of British Columbia graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Bio-Resource Engineering in 1977.  He joined the Ministry of Agriculture in 1979 and has served the agriculture industry of the province for 34 years.  Ted has spent his entire career with the Ministry of Agriculture specializing in irrigation, water management and water resources planning. 

    During his time with the Ministry Ted has built an international reputation for his leading edge work in agricultural water management.  This was demonstrated by his selection as the Irrigation Association’s 2000 Crawford Reid Memorial Award recipient recognizing his work in promoting proper irrigation techniques. 
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    Charles J. Vörösmarty

    Director, The City University of New York’s Environmental Crossroads Initiative
    The City College of New York

    Charles J. Vörösmarty is a professor of civil engineering, a Distinguished Scientist with the NOAA-Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center and Director of The City University of New York’s Environmental Crossroads Initiative at CCNY. His research focuses on development of computer models and geospatial data sets used in synthesis studies of the interactions among humans and the hydrologic cycle.  Dr. Vörösmarty is active in several national and international science activities and steering committees, including the Global Water System Project, U.N.World Water Assessment Programme, U.S. Arctic Research Commission, the National Research Council Committee on Hydrologic Science (as chair).
     Howard Wheater s

    Howard Wheater

    Canada Excellence Research Chair in Water Security, Professor, School of Environment and Sustainability and Department of Civil and Geological Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan

    Howard Wheater is the Canadian Excellence Research Chair in Water Security, and Director of the Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Wheater also holds appointments as Distinguished Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Hydrology at Imperial College, London, where he was formerly head of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and Director of the Imperial College Environment Forum. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, U.K., and the American Geophysical Union. His research interests include surface and groundwater hydrology and water quality; applications include research into climate change, land management effects on flood risks and nutrient transport in groundwater-dominated catchments.

    Dr. Wheater has received a number of international awards for his work, including the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water and has published over 200 peer reviewed articles. Dr. Wheater serves as the vice-chair of the World Climate Research Program's Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) scientific steering group and leads the UNESCO's arid zone water resources program. He has conducted research around the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Africa, as well as North America.

    Dr. Wheater received BA and MA degrees from the University of Cambridge, and his PhD from the Universirty of Bristol.
     Dan Wicklum s

    Dan Wicklum

    Chief Executive
    Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance

    After completing his graduate education in aquatic ecology, Dan took a faculty position at the University of Montana faculty as a Research Assistant Professor.  In 2000 he left academia to become a Senior Policy Advisor to the Canadian Federal Minister of Natural Resources and the Government House Leader, and was subsequently Director of Strategic Alliances for Natural Resources Canada's Canadian Forest Service.  

    Dan then launched, and became Executive Director of The Canadian Forest Innovation Council before joining Environment Canada in various senior science management roles including Director General of Wildlife and Landscape Science and Director General of Water Science and Technology.  Dan is now Chief Executive of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance.  Dr. Wicklum and his wife Sonja have two children, Ali, and Connor. 

    Dan completed a BSc. in Biology (University of Guelph, 1990) followed by an MSc. in Aquatic Ecology (University of Calgary, 1994).  He then went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology (University of Montana, 1998).   Dan’s initial career was as a linebacker in the CFL, playing with both the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1988) and the Calgary Stampeders (1989-91).
     Carl Yates s

    Carl  D. Yates

    General Manager, Halifax Water

    Carl Yates obtained his Bachelor of Engineering from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1984 and subsequently moved to Nova Scotia and joined the firm, Jacques Whitford and Associates as a geotechnical engineer.  He joined the Halifax Water Commission in 1988 as Project Engineer and obtained his Masters of Applied Science from the Technical University of Nova Scotia in 1992.  In October 1993, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Halifax Water Commission and held that position until October 1994 when he was appointed General Manager.   In February 1996, Mr. Yates was appointed General Manager of the Halifax Regional Water Commission which came about as a result of municipal amalgamation within the metro Halifax area.  On August 1, 2007, Mr. Yates became the General Manager of Halifax Water, the first regulated water, wastewater and stormwater utility in Canada with the transfer of wastewater/stormwater assets from the Halifax Regional Municipality.   Halifax Water is a body corporate municipal utility, generating approximately 105 million dollars in annual revenue with assets of over $2 Billion.

    Mr. Yates is Past Chair of the Potable Water Committee for the National Research Council InfraGuide project, Past Chair of the Security and Emergency Management Committee of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, Chair of the Research Strategy Committee of the Water Research Foundation, a member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers,  the American Water Works Association Water Utility Council, the International Water Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of  Special Olympics Nova Scotia.
     

    Beverly Yee

    Assistant Deputy Minister of Strategy Division
    Alberta Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

    Beverly Yee is the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of Strategy Division for Alberta’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.  

    As ADM for Strategy, Bev is responsible for external relations and partnerships, strategic foresight and development, system oversight, transboundary negotiations and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development’s participation in the Land-use Framework.

    Bev has led the development of Alberta’s Water for Life strategy, Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy, as well as the Ministry’s recent reorganization to a cumulative effects management system.  She is also leading the renewal of Alberta’s Clean Air Strategy.

    Since joining Alberta Environment in 1994 she has held a number of executive management positions and was previously ADM for Environmental Assurance and Environmental Stewardship.
       

  •  

    Event Photos

    Bernadette s Paulina s Maggie s Boomwhackers s

     

    For photos from Connecting Water Resources 2013, please continue to our Flickr Page. Copyright © 2013 by Neil Valois and Lyle Schneider, all rights reserved. 

     

    Event Videos

    atleo video image still VR2 CWR 2013 Geoff Riggs CWR 2013 Image Still2

    		 ganter video still vr2 CWR 2 miltenberger image still vr2 CWR 2013

    National Chief Shawn A-in-chut
    Atleo
    Assembly of First Nations

    Geoff Riggs
    Smarter Planet Business Development
    Manager, IBM Global Business Services 

    J. Carl Ganter
    Director, Circle of Blue

     

     

     

    J. Michael Miltenberger
    Minister of Finance; Minister of Environment
    and Natural Resources; Minister Responsible
    for the Northwest Territories Power 
    Corporation

    For videos from Connecting Water Resources 2013, please continue to our Vimeo Page. Videos are updated frequently, so be sure to check back soon! 

     

  • CWR 2013 – Changing the Water Paradigm
    Poster Abstracts

    Thank you for all of the poster submissions. The poster session was a huge success!

    Poster abstracts were submitted from researchers, students and practitioners who have conducted innovative water research or have discovered or implemented innovative solutions to water resource management problems within the three conference tracks. Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who participated.

    DSC 2 DSC 3 DSC 3757 Student Poster Session CWR 2013

    Poster Winners

    First Place Paulina Bahamonde Molecular signatures associated with endocrine disruption after sewage effluent exposure in rainbow darter (etheostoma caeruleum) 
    Second Place Megan Kot A new regulatory approach: Impacts of Alberta's drinking water safety plan requirement on small communities
    Third Place Ryan Power Investigating distributions and baseline biological information of crangon septemspinosa at contaminated and reference sites in the Saint John Harbour

    New municipal and community approaches

    • A community-driven process for water and wastewater decision-making: Experience with three indigenous communities in Canada, McCullough, J, Farahbakhsh, K, Anderson, K, Lawless, J, Kelly, B, Dokis, C.
      Contact: Joanne Lawless
    • A new regulatory approach: Impacts of Alberta's drinking water safety plan requirement on small communities, Gagnon, G.A., Castleden, H.E., Kot, M., Perrier, E., Chandler, K. 
      Contact: Megan Kot
    • Aquifer capability screening tool pilot study, Prescott-Russell, Ontario, Morton, S.R., Di Iorio, Robin, M.J.L., Hamilton, S. 
      Contact: Samuel Morton
    • Assessing the environment risk of emerging contaminants in municipal wastewater, Servos, M., Oakes, K., Bragg, L., Ings, J., Tanna, R., Fuzzen, M., Smith, B., Bahamonde, P., Van Der Kraak, G., Metcalfe, C., Martinuk, C., Munkittrick, K., Tetreault, G., McMaster, M. 
      Contact: Mark Servos
    • Assessment of the viability of a natural urban wetland in the treatment of stormwater, McGuigan, J.M., Jamieson, R.C., Hansen, D. 
      Contact: Janeen McGuigan
    • Characteristics of lead corrosion scales present in drinking water distribution systems, Guo D. P., Robnson C., Herrera J.E.
      Contact: Daoping Guo
    • Equilibrium geochemical model to evaluate lead dissolution and corrosion scale transformations in water distribution systems, Robinson C., Herrera J., Hassan T., Kushnir C. 
      Contact: Caitlin Kushnir
    • Evaluating the "open standards of conservation measures" framework: A case study of the Coquitlam river watershed roundtable management plan, Fielding, G., and Rutherford, M.B. 
      Contact: Gillian Fielding
    • Evaluation of membrane bioreactors with short sludge retention times on performance, biomass characteristics and membrane fouling, Snider-Nevin, J., Nick Adams, N., Suresh K., Zhou H. 
      Contact: Jeffrey Snider-Nevin
    • How can a Hydrogeologist meaningfully contribute to water sustainability in a changing world? Gleeson, T. 
      Contact: Tom Gleesan
    • Is it feasible to couple membrane filtration with attached growth wastewater treatment process, Yang, W., Rollings-Scattergood, S., Syed, W., Zhou, H. 
      Contact: Wenbo Yang
    • K* in water management - Optimizing knowledge flow between water research, policy and practices, Yip, J., Bielak, A. T., Shaxson, L. S., and Asif, F. 
      Contact: Jackie (Zheng) Yip
    • Micobial dynamics and microbial source tracking in two Nova Scotia drinking water systems, Stea, E., Jamieson, R.J. and Truelstrup Hansen, L. 
      Contact: Emma Stea 
    • Molecular signatures associated with endocrine disruption after sewage effluent exposure in rainbow darter (etheostoma caeruleum), Bahamonde P., McMaster M., Servos M., Munkittrick K, Martyniuk CJ.
      Contact: Paulina Bahamonde
    • Phosphate does optimizing following residential sampling for lead in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Trueman, B., Gagnon, G., Camara, E 
      Contact: Ben Trueman
    • Phosphorus retention in on-site wastewater systems within Nova Scotia, Finlayson-Bourque, D., Jamieson, R., Lake, C., Ryan, A.M. 
      Contact: Danielle Finlayson-Bourque
    • Pilot and full-scale evaluations of pathogen removal: Informing QMRA for plant risk management, Emelko, M.B., Douglas, I.P., Campbell, A., and McLellan, N.M. 
      Contact: Nicole McLellan
    • Support framework for Ontario's small water systems, Jin, X., Pilkington, E., Hewlett, T., Borikar, D., Ndiongue, S., Moore, L. 
      Contact: Xiaohui Jin 
    • Robots causing a splash in stormwater management ponds? Automating bathymetric surveys for improved performance monitoring requirements, Rendall, M., Gill, B., Albrecht, R. 
      Contact: Blyth Gill
    • Spatial variation in the colonization of periphyton: The importance of edge effect, Balika, D., Kurissery, S., and Kanavillil, N. 
      Contact: Debbie Balika
    • The adaptation of water governance in three first nation communities in southern Ontario, Canada, Dyck, Thomas. 
      Contact: Thomas Dyck
    • Wastewater treatment system performance in Kugaaruk and Grise Fiord, NU, Gagnon, G.A., Jamieson, R., Lam, B., Krkosek, W. Schmidt, J. 
      Contact: Jordan Schmidt
    • Watershed stewardship in resource communities: Seeking a balance of interests, Whiten, Reg C. 
      Contact: Reg Whiten

    Water in the resource development sector

    • Collaboration for a water-secure future: Innovations through the alliance for water stewardship, Downes, L.W.
      Contact: Lisa Downes
    • Collaborative water governance, natural resource industries and influence: Assessing the value of collaboration when significant power imbalances exist, Brisbois, M.C., de Loë, R., Murray, D.
      Contact: Marie Claire Brisbois
    • Designing triggers for environmental monitoring using data from reference sites: Detecting recovery of fish after the closure of a bleached kraft pulp mill in northern Ontario, Arciszewski, T., McMaster, M., Munkittrick, K.
      Contact: Tim Arciszewski
    • Feasibility study of the multi-site downscaling of hourly extreme temperature in southwest region of Quebec, Mahtab, Sania, B.
      Contact: Sania Mahtab
    • Investigating distributions and baseline biological information of crangon septemspinosa at contaminated and reference sites in the Saint John Harbour, Power, R.J., Courtenay, S.C., Methven, D.M. and Munkittrick. K.R.
      Contact: Ryan Power
    • Investigating hydrological linkages between bogs, fens and uplands in the athabasca oil sands region, Vallarino A., Kusel C., Gibson J., Birks J.
      Contact: Amy Vallarino
    • Using molecular and traditional tools to assess the health of slimy sculpin in areas impacted by coal mining, Miller, L.L., Doyle, M., Martyniuk, C., and Munkittrick, K.R.
      Contact: Lana Miller
    • When will the water be safe again? Biodegradation of multiple cyanobacteria toxins by aquatic bacteria in Missisquoi bay water, Maghsoudi, E., Dorner, S., Greer, C., Masson, L., Sauvé, S., Aboulfadl, K.
      Contact: Ehsan Maghsoudi

    Agriculture and Food Production

    • Anaerobic membrane bioreactor (ANMBR) centered processes for food processing wastewater treatment and resource recovery, Chang, S., Hufnagel, D., Liu, Y.
      Contact: Sheng Chang
    • Detailed field investigations of nitrate origin, fate and transport in the sedimentary bedrock aquifer in Prince Edward Island, Malenica, A., Parker, B.L., Chapman, S., Cherry, J.A., Ryan, M.C., Jiang, Y, Grimmett, M., Danielescu, S.
      Contact: Amanda Malenica
    • Environmental risk factors contributing to total coliform and escherichia coli contamination of rural well water in Alberta, Checkley, S., Invik, J., Massolo, A., Neumann, N. 
      Contact: Jesse Invik
    • Global green water transport, Jasechko, Scott
      Contact: Scott Jasechko
    • Irrigated vegetable production for improved food security in the CARICOM region, Carvalho, R.M. P. de, Madramootoo, C. A.
      Contact: Raffaella Carvalho
    • Minimizing foodborne outbreaks from contaminated irrigation water, Gupta, D., Madramootoo, C.A.
      Contact: Divya Gupta
    • Water and nitrogen use efficiency of corn under different nitrogen and water management scenarios, Madramootoo C. A., Singh, A. K. , Smith, D. L.
      Contact: Ajay Singh
    • Water use efficiency in irrigated agriculture and food security, Madramootoo C.A., Aladenola O.O.
      Contact: Olanike Aladenola