Author: Andrew Wilson

Drought in the 19th Century

Drought Figure 1: Drought in 19th Century Alberta  Early Accounts of Drought in the 1700s Drought occurred in present-day Alberta throughout the 1700s. Drought became so extreme in the 1790s […]

What is Drought?

In the simplest terms, drought is the absence of water over an extended period of time. There are different ways drought can occur, and for this reason, there are four […]

Property Rights

Governance Private property Across Canada and in Alberta, there is no single definition of property rights and no single law that defines them. In general, however, property rights assure property […]

Flood Mitigation: Upgrading Existing Infrastructure

Flood External Resources Presentations and Minutes from the BRBC Quarterly Forum on Flood Mitigation South Saskatchewan River Basin Snow Data What is upgrading existing infrastructure? Washed-away bridge and culvert. Photo […]

Flood Mitigation: Wetlands

Flood External Resources Presentations and Minutes from the BRBC Quarterly Forum on Flood Mitigation South Saskatchewan River Basin Snow Data What is a wetland? Wetland. Photo by Luke Hodde on […]

Flood Mitigation: Understanding Storm Water Flooding

Flood External Resources Presentations and Minutes from the BRBC Quarterly Forum on Flood Mitigation South Saskatchewan River Basin Snow Data What is storm water flooding? Flooded underpass in Toronto, 2013. […]

Groundwater Introduction

Groundwater in our province exists either as a comparatively younger, non-saline source – designated as any water possessing a mineralization less than 4,000 mg/L total dissolved solids (TDS) – or […]

Drought

Cracked mud surrounding a pool of water

Drought What is Drought? Canada is no stranger to severe weather. Canadians are well acquainted with flood, drought, fire, hail, and snow. This section explores causes, impacts, and mitigation methods […]

Water Sources

Photograph of snow-covered mountains and a lake.

This section is dedicated to providing science-based research to answer: where does all that water come from? Earth is a closed system, meaning the amount of water on Earth will […]

What is an Aquifer?

Although groundwater exists everywhere under the ground, some parts of the saturated zone contain more water than others. An aquifer is an underground formation or permeable rock or loose materials […]

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Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Ross Douglas

Ross Douglas

Board Member

Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.

Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.

Photograph of WaterPortal Board Member Brian Mergelas

Brian Mergelas, PhD, ICD.D

Board Member

Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market.   With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry. 

Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector. 

He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency. 

Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field. 

Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation.   As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.