The Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) National Conference took place from May 26-29, 2019 as part of 'Water Week at Blue' (Blue Mountain, Ontario). The theme of the conference was 'Shared Water, Competing Ethics: Collaboration in Water Management'. In addition to presenting a 4-hour workshop on engaging stakeholders and Indigenous rightsholders, I presented a talk accompanied by a draft paper discussing the framing and early results of the Grand-Erie study. At the end of the conference, I was honored to receive the "Our Water - Our Life - Most Valued Resource" award for the combined paper and presentation.
The draft paper (unavailable until published), co-authored by Dr. Andrew Trant and Dr. Simon Courtenay at University of Waterloo, raises key points for the more equitable and accessibly design of water management systems in Ontario and across Canada. The presentation highlighted early outcomes of this research and also discussed the approaches taken in our methodology as they relate to equity and creating shared spaces.
The award is presented to student research that addresses that meets the following criteria: originality, contribution to water resources knowledge, significance of results, technical and analytical quality, and clarity of the presentation. It is considered the 2nd place award to the Professor Bill Stolte Student Paper Award.
A special thank you to Sandra Cooke and the Grand River Conservation Authority
I would like to recognize that this research would not be possible without the amazing support of certain groups and individuals in the study area. Most notably, several staff of the Grand River Conservation Authority - especially Sandra Cooke, Senior Water Quality Specialist - have been instrumental to the shaping of the work, providing documents and other resources (including recommending other people to engage with), and participating in Key Informant Interviews. The open mind and enthusiastic engagement of these and other individuals has been the foundation of this research from inception until now, and moving forward.
Thank you!