Discover the key topics that will be explored at Blue Cities, the premier water conference for strategic decision makers. Our sessions, including keynote addresses, plenary panels, and concurrent discussions, will cover pressing issues such as project delays, budget constraints, emerging contaminants, and decarbonization. Gain valuable insights and practical solutions from Canada’s leading experts and practitioners to help you navigate future challenges and drive success in your projects.
Keynotes and Plenary Panels
Keynote – Inside the systems that shape our world: How infrastructure works
More information coming soon.
Fireside Chat: Challenges in financing and delivering infrastructure
Sponsored by Xylem. More information coming soon.
Plenary Panel – Management of risk in uncertain times: Current challenges
Those responsible for delivering infrastructure are facing climate shocks, cost inflation, construction delays, maintaining aging infrastructure and responding to service interruptions, and providing new servicing for accelerated housing. How can we anticipate and plan for these pressures in the near term and what strategies can we deploy?
Plenary Panel – Management of risk in uncertain times: Future and foresight
Climate impacts, political instability, changes in social values, rapid technological innovation, are some of the trends that could affect water services and infrastructure delivery over the coming years. Hear from futurist Jessica Thornton and a panel of strategic thinkers about what to expect and how to prepare for future risks.
Closing Plenary Panel – Strategic management of risk: Foresight interactive session
More information coming soon.
Concurrent Sessions - Current Challenges
New finance and investment strategies in an affordability-challenged landscape
Water utilities are facing unprecedented cost escalation as a result of inflation, cost of imported materials, skills shortages, among other factors. Hear from experts on solutions and alternative strategies to mitigate these risks and secure needed investments.
Water servicing for new urban housing
Engage in dialogue with developers, planners and water utilities about how to work together more effectively to build servicing for new urban housing.
Strategies for effective project delivery
Why are so many projects delivered late and over budget? Learn about and share strategies that can be adopted and relationships developed to deliver projects on time and on budget.
Transforming the water workforce: The power of people
As the workforce ages and retires, recruiting new skilled workers with the technical, decision-making, problem solving , project management, and operational competence is proving challenging across the water sector. Education and training programs are not keeping pace with the needs of the sector, leading to a shortage of professionals with the necessary skills to leverage and manage the water utilities of the future.
Concurrent Sessions - Future and Foresight
Planning in the face of uncertainty
Traditional linear planning locks in current assumptions that can result in costly over or under estimations of growth, capacity, climate impacts, water availability, fiscal capacity, among other variables. CWN’s adaptive planning project, funded by Natural Resources Canada, explores multiple possible futures, and creates decision pathways with built-in adaptability to help municipal utilities manage for future risk and create a forward-looking, anticipatory organization.
Securing Canada’s water future: Strategies for availability and demand management
Drought is a recurring reality, particularly for central Canada. Groundwater and river-based systems will come under steady and increased pressure with climate change and growth trends. Learn from the best on how to stretch your supply and manage your demand.
Mission net zero water
Wastewater fugitive emissions, nitrous oxides and methane, are a particularly potent source of GHGs. Canada has pledged to reduce its methane emissions by 35% by 2030 based on 2020 levels. Learn how CWN is working with a network of municipal utilities, private sector leaders and global experts to develop made-in-Canada pathways to net zero water that will support Canada’s Global Methane Pledge.
What’s in the water? Trends and developments in environmental surveillance
The last 5-10 years has seen major advances in new molecular methods to detect what is in our water and measure the impacts on our human health at an earlier stage. With recent changes to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and similar changes to European Union water rules, these methods will eventually be mainstreamed into water monitoring and chemical assessment. Learn about the significance of these new methods, how they may be used by municipal utilities, and how they may revolutionize our understanding of real exposure to contaminants.