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Annual Reports

A message from the Chair of the Board and Scientific Director

We offer our sincere thanks to Dr. Mark Servos, who stepped down from the position of Scientific Director on March 31, 2011. Mark provided exemplary service and leadership to the Canadian Water Network since 2003 and was instrumental in creating an innovative network and navigating it toward excellence in water research and practice.

CWN was created in 2001 to build a national network of water researchers and partners to connect and mobilize leading research to issues underlying the pivotal role water plays in our environment, health and economy. CWN was established at a turning point in awareness, regulation and management of water issues in Canada — in May 2000 bacterial contamination of Walkerton’s municipal water supply caused seven deaths and afflicted 2,500 with serious gastrointestinal illness. A year later, an outbreak of waterborne cryptosporidiosis in North Battleford, Saskatchewan followed, afflicting some 6,200 residents.

In the decade since these tragedies, water issues have risen substantially in Canadian consciousness and public debate, but best policy and action have remained challenging because of the diffuse nature of water decision-making. Governance and water management are fractured across multiple departments and levels of government, decisions are subject to competing priorities, and effective mechanisms to coordinate knowledge and technology on solutions are in short supply.

Canadian researchers have the expertise to address these challenges, but mechanisms are needed to integrate their knowledge across disciplines and regions. Integration also requires better coupling of decisions to the implications and options that emerge from research. These are precisely the challenges that the Networks of Centres of Excellence program was established to address. CWN remains the only water-related organization of its kind in Canada and it is the focal point for national integration of water research capacity and collaboration.

During CWN’s first seven years of NCE funding, we focused on connecting researchers separated widely by geography, habit and discipline to the diverse water management community, combining resources to support the complex challenge of water management. We embraced the broad user sector as integral partners in the process, ensuring that our research better underpinned water management decisions.

Having established a core national network, CWN undertook during its second funding cycle to build upon this strong capacity base. We began a transformation to more fully meet the needs of the user community through an evolution from a researcher-based push on defining research needs to an end-user pull.

Over the three years of our second NCE funding cycle, our network has expanded to 40 research projects that involve more than 100 researchers, some 300 partners and over 600 students. Since inception, CWN’s research program has been underpinned by the next generation of outstanding young leaders. The network continues to deliver a program that exposes young researchers to a wider array of perspectives and a broader understanding of water management. Our training has included intensive workshops that immerse students in holistic study of watersheds and water-management challenges, providing real-world experience and integrated understanding to solve problems that span jurisdictions, disciplines and time. As they have graduated, our students have secured meaningful employment in industry, government and academia, where they continue to make discoveries, foster innovation and improve water management and policy decisions.

Looking forward, CWN will structure efforts to further develop our research consortia to create communities of practice around critical water issues. Our consortia employ a unique approach to research management that integrates end users and water researchers in a structured development of research programs and reporting of research results that improves communication, awareness and uptake of findings. It ensures the right questions are posed, that research is practicable, implementable knowledge is generated, findings are integrated into policy and practice, and coinvestment in research increases. This model has radically advanced end-user involvement in our research and CWN has become a recognized leader in knowledge translation and brokering as a result.

While helping to solve Canada’s water management challenges, CWN is creating opportunities to affirm Canada’s leadership in water research and management, applying expertise and technology to issues and markets around the globe. We are a vibrant national network well positioned to deliver value to Canadians and to create a sustainable entity that continues to bring water research to life.

CWN Annual Reports (PDF format)