WC145 NovDec 2025 - Magazine - Page 5
EDITOR’S NOTE
Water Welcome
PROJECTS l POLICY l INNOVATION
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025 • VOLUME 25, NUMBER 6
EDITOR
John Tenpenny
VP, CONTENT & PARTNERSHIPS
Corinne Lynds
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Lauren Belayneh, Charlie Evans
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Connie Vitello
ART DIRECTOR AND SENIOR DESIGNER
Gordon Alexander
CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
Erica Bodie, Henry Challen, Saul Chernos,
Michael Goffin, Gen Handley, Keyvan Maleki,
Conrad McCallum, Shreejit Shelar,
Darlene Suddard, Kristen Ward
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
ADVERTISING
Vanessa Watson, vanessa@actualmedia.ca
ADVERTISING COORDINATOR
Ritu Upadhyay, ritu@actualmedia.ca
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Charlotte Stone
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Sarah Wensley
EVENTS & MARKETING COORDINATOR
Min Do
AGENCY DIRECTOR
Catherine Luzena
PRESIDENT
Todd Latham
PUBLISHER
Nick Krukowski
ADVISOR
James Sbrolla
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Water Canada gratefully acknowledges the financial support
received from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
SOON AFTER being named the new editor of Water Canada, I had
the pleasure of attending my first National Water and Wastewater
Conference. Having been suitably “inducted” into Canada’s water
industry, I am on my way to becoming a water nerd.
The passion with which every attendee spoke about their own professional
and personal connection with water was infectious. Water matters, and that
was nowhere more apparent than at the NWWC in Victoria.
It’s also serious business, a sentiment hammered home by Canadian Water
and Wastewater Association executive director Robert Haller, who opened
the conference by saying, “If we make mistakes, people die,” referencing the
25th anniversary of the Walkerton tragedy that resulted in the deaths of seven
people.
Safety is not a given in today’s climate of getting things done. “Reducing red
tape is an excuse to get rid of safety and guardrails,” stated Haller.
Another challenge is supply, due to the amount of aging water infrastructure
in this country.
“Canadians take for granted that when we turn on the tap, we have clean
water,” Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told the conference as the keynote
speaker. “We take our water for granted, until we can’t.”
For May, fixing the water infrastructure gap begins at the local level. “Nation-building is done in communities, and we need strong local leadership.”
The message does seem to be filtering up to the top.
In the recent budget announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney, more than
$100-billion was earmarked for water and wastewater infrastructure.
Core public infrastructure—including water, wastewater and public transit—will receive $54 billion over five years, with additional funding flowing
through the new Build Communities Strong Fund, a $51-billion, 10-year program to revitalize local infrastructure. Within that fund, a community stream
will direct $27.8 billion toward essential assets such as local roads, bridges
and water systems, while a provincial and territorial stream will provide $17.2
billion for infrastructure priorities in areas like housing, health care and water
facilities.
The federal government also committed $2.3 billion over three years to
improving First Nations’ access to clean water through the First Nations Water
and Wastewater Enhanced Program—with the aim of ending all long-term
drinking water advisories on reserves.
In addition to being the editor of this important title, I am also the editor of
ReNew Canada. For the past five years I’ve covered Canada’s public infrastructure sector, including many water-related projects, and I know how important
infrastructure is to our water ecosystem. I’m excited to begin my water journey
and look forward to learning from and becoming a small part of the passionate
community that is Water Canada.
John Tenpenny is the editor of Water Canada and ReNew Canada. john@actualmedia.ca
COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
BIOSOLIDS TO BENEFITS • CONSERVATION • AGING INFRASTRUCTURE
PLUS: Columns, news and insights, coverage of the industry’s biggest events, people on the move, and more.
AD BOOKING DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 14 • MATERIAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 21 • DISTRIBUTION DATE: JANUARY 14
To reach Water Canada’s influential readers in print, contact Vanessa Watson at 416-444-5842 ext. 0112 or vanessa@actualmedia.ca.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
WATER C AN ADA • NOV EMBER/ DECEMBER 2025
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