WC142 MayJune 2025 - Magazine - Page 5
EDITOR’S NOTE
Lifting the Curtain
PROJECTS l POLICY l INNOVATION
MAY/JUNE 2025 • VOLUME 25, NUMBER 4
MOST OF US don’t think twice about what happens after we flush
EDITOR/VP CONTENT & PARTNERSHIPS
Corinne Lynds
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Charlie Evans
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
John Tenpenny, Connie Vitello
ART DIRECTOR AND SENIOR DESIGNER
Gordon Alexander
CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
Sean Bryden, Kristen Ward, Treena Hein,
Rebecca Dziedzic, Sadaf Gharaati, Malika Bendouz,
Jean Pare, Mark Wessel, Stephanie Shouldice,
Gordon Feller, Hiran Sandanayake, Amy Winchester,
Madeleine Butschler
WATER CANADA ADVISORY BOARD
Stephen Braun, Melissa Dick, Gregary Ford,
Jon Grant, Robert Haller, Linda Li,
Michael Lywood, Eric Meliton, Ranin Nseir,
Terry Rees, Emily Stahl
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Min Do
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Catherine Luzena
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Todd Latham
PUBLISHER
Nick Krukowski
ADVISOR
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the toilet, drain the sink, or step out of the shower. Wastewater
disappears—and that’s the end of the story.
Except, it’s not.
In April, Water Canada hosted a Downstream student networking event at Toronto’s
Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant—one of the largest and most sophisticated wastewater
treatment facilities in the country. For many of the students, it was their first time stepping foot inside a facility like this. And what they saw changed their perspective.
They saw massive infrastructure systems humming with activity. They met the operators, engineers, and specialists whose work protects both public health and the natural
environment—every single day. They learned about how energy recovery, biosolids
management, and cutting-edge treatment technologies are quietly making our cities
more resilient.
Watching their reactions reminded me just how hidden this world is, even to those
already on the path to becoming water professionals. We spend so much of our lives not
seeing this critical infrastructure—let alone appreciating the people behind it. And if
even these bright, motivated students were surprised by what they discovered, imagine
how little the average person knows about what it takes to keep water flowing in and out
of our homes safely.
That’s one of the reasons I care so deeply about Downstream. It’s not just a networking event—it’s an invitation to understand, to connect, and to start seeing water through
a different lens.
The truth is, this lack of awareness isn’t just an educational gap—it’s a vulnerability. As
climate change intensifies and infrastructure across the country faces mounting pressure,
we can’t afford to keep our water systems in the shadows. Canada’s ability to remain
self-sustaining through future challenges depends on an informed, engaged public that
understands the value of these systems and supports the investments needed to protect
them.
So how do we build that awareness?
It starts with opening doors. Literally. Facility tours, school field trips, virtual walkthroughs, and public open houses at water and wastewater plants are simple, powerful
ways to demystify the system. What if every Canadian student had the chance to tour a
treatment facility as part of their education? What if local residents were regularly invited
to learn how their water is treated and why that matters?
I’ve seen firsthand how transformative those experiences can be. They spark curiosity,
inspire respect, and often ignite a sense of responsibility that stays with people long after
they leave the facility.
Let’s keep lifting the curtain—and bringing more people into the conversation. Because the future of water in this country doesn’t just depend on engineers and operators.
It depends on all of us.
Corinne Lynds is Vice President, Content and Partnerships at Actual Media,
and Editor of Water Canada. watercanada@actualmedia.ca
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WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
WATER C AN ADA • M AY/JUNE 2025
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