The Role of the Canada Water Agency (CWA) in National Freshwater Collaboration (Online)

When: Thursday, October 3rd – 11:00am PDT, 12:00pm MDT & CST, 1:00pm CDT, 2:00pm EDT, 3:00pm ADT, 3:30 pm NDT

This bilingual national webinar with simultaneous translation is hosted by Our Living Waters and offers a look at the Canada Water Agency (CWA). It features policy experts from the CWA, Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW), and University of Victoria’s POLIS Water Sustainability Project (UVic-POLIS):

• Nadine Stiller and Meghan Sullivan (CWA) will discuss how this new agency is working to improve freshwater management in Canada by facilitating more effective collaboration federally, and enhancing coordination and collaboration with provinces, territories, and Indigenous Peoples. Learn about key projects like the National Freshwater Data Strategy, the review of the Canada Water Act, and implementation of the Freshwater Ecosystem Initiatives under the strengthened Freshwater Action Plan.
  • Nadine is an Executive Director with the CWA and has worked for the Federal government for 25 years, holding a variety of leadership roles in transboundary water management. Over her career, she has developed a wide breadth and depth of experience on water issues in intergovernmental relations, Fisheries Act administration and emergency management through her work in close partnership with Provincial and Territorial Governments, First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
  • Meghan joined the CWA in 2021 and is currently the Acting Director of Indigenous Partnerships, External Relations, and Communications. Previously she served as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and held other positions within ECCC, Natural Resources Canada, and Global Affairs Canada (working on Canada-US environmental relations). She has a background in public policy.

• Ralph Pentland (FLOW) will speak to the long term policy horizon and opportunities for impact in the future. 
  • Ralph worked for Environment Canada for 13 years, negotiating and administering numerous Canada-U.S. and federal-provincial water Agreements, and was the primary author of the 1987 Federal Water Policy. Since 1991, he has served as a water and environmental policy consultant. Over the years, Ralph has co-chaired five International Joint Commission Boards and Committees. In December 2019, Ralph was awarded the Order of Canada “for his enduring commitment to conserving and protecting freshwater resources in Canada and around the globe”.

• Oliver Brandes (UVic-POLIS) will cover the theme of watershed security and the role of national coordination to build towards a nested, integrated and comprehensive watershed governance approach – including law reform.
  • Oliver is an economist and lawyer by training with a background in ecological restoration and a trans-disciplinarian by design. He leads the University of Victoria’s award-winning POLIS Water Sustainability Project and the new Wildfire Resilience Project. His work focuses on water sustainability, sound resource management, public policy development, and ecologically based legal and institutional reform. Oliver is a technical advisor to the B.C. government supporting the ongoing development of the provincial Water Sustainability Act. He is also a founding member and Chair of the national Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW).