Water News

Water News is a free, subscription-based service that provides the latest information on water news across Canada and upcoming events.
The news is distributed weekly on Mondays via a collated email and Monday to Friday via WaterPortal social media (X was Twitter). Please note that news will not be distributed on Holiday Mondays and will be released the following Tuesday.  
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Compare and contrast: Severe drought puts nearly half a million children at risk in Amazon – report

Compare and contrast: Severe drought puts nearly half a million children at risk in Amazon – report

The Guardian


Two years of severe drought in the Amazon rainforest have left nearly half a million children facing shortages of water and food or limited access to school, according to a UN report. Scant rainfall and extreme heat driven by the climate crisis have caused rivers in what is usually the wettest region on Earth to retreat so much that they can no longer be traversed by boats, cutting off communities.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Climate and Severe Weather.

Ontario holds the key to protecting James Bay’s Indigenous waters

Ontario holds the key to protecting James Bay’s Indigenous waters

National Observer


Historically, we haven’t received the same courtesy. When our ancestors signed Treaty 9, we believed this agreement would ensure the land and resources would be shared for the benefit of all. It was not a surrender, but a promise that the Crown would respect our rights, honour, our relationship to the land, and help foster the well-being of future generations.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Governance.

Compare and contrast: Warning millions will struggle to pay water bill rises

Compare and contrast: Warning millions will struggle to pay water bill rises

BBC News


Millions of households in England and Wales will struggle to pay their water bills when they go up, a consumer watchdog has warned. The water regulator, Ofwat, has provisionally said bills would rise by an average of 19 a year between 2025 and 2030 – a 21% increase over that period.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Compare and contrast: The Science Behind Fluoride in Drinking Water

Compare and contrast: The Science Behind Fluoride in Drinking Water

TIME


Adding fluoride to drinking water reduces rates of cavities by around 25%, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says. Some U.S. communities began doing so in the 1940s, and today about 72% of the U.S. population that receives water from public utilities drinks fluoridated water, according to the CDC. Decisions about whether to use fluoride are typically made at the state or local level, and at least a dozen states require large municipalities to do so, Stateline reports.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

Fleet Street Pumping Station celebrates 150 years

Fleet Street Pumping Station celebrates 150 years

City of Ottawa


On October 24, 1874, Ottawa’s oldest water facility, the Fleet Street Pumping Station, began pumping water from the Ottawa River through its great turbine wheels into the City’s water distribution system.   Click here to read the story.   Click the following link for more information on Infrastructure.

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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.