WC143 JulyAug 2025 - Magazine - Page 37
“Judgeslookedathowcreative,feasible,andscalableeach
solution was—and how well it addressed local challenges
and opportunities for community engagement.”
Judges looked at how creative, feasible, and scalable
each solution was—and how well it addressed local challenges and opportunities for community engagement.
The quality of ideas was really impressive.
5. Was there anything that surprised you about the
submissions?
Absolutely. We were particularly impressed with how
well students from computer science and tech backgrounds understood the environmental side of things.
Some teams also used engaging visuals—like animated
GIFs—to explain their ideas, which made their presentations even more compelling. The level of thought,
innovation, and polish was higher than we expected.
6. Who were the top teams in this year’s competition,
and what solutions did they propose?
FIRST PLACE went to a team from Seneca Polytechnic
in the Sustainable Urban and Transportation Planning
program. They proposed using riparian restoration and
floating treatment wetlands to improve water quality
and biodiversity, while also encouraging community
engagement.
Team members: Alyssa Tejada, Ashish Acharya,
Emerson Pardoe, Jose Bernardo III Gochoco and
Shivani Dave.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
SECOND PLACE went to the University of Alberta. Their
team of Agricultural and Resource Economics students
developed a practical plan that included rain gardens,
permeable pavements, shoreline restoration, and
community outreach—all tailored to Peterborough’s
local needs and budget.
Team members: Sadik Mahmud, Laura Isaacs, Dipa
Sultana and Hridoy Gope.
THIRD PLACE went to Enactus York from York University,
made up of computer science students. They pitched
the use of bioswales to tackle flooding, erosion, and
pollution—paired with public engagement and policy
recommendations for long-term environmental impact.
Team members: Prabhkrit Singh, Parmeet Singh and
Mohammad Areeb.
7. Is there a chance any of these solutions could be
implemented?
There is. The City has been looking into the use of
floating wetlands in stormwater management for
a while, so there’s a real possibility we could pilot
something like that in the future. A number of the other
ideas—especially around education and outreach—
were also really creative, and we’d love to explore how
they might be applied locally to boost community
involvement in stormwater initiatives.
WATER C AN ADA • JULY/AUGUS T 2025
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