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: ‘Environmental nonsense’: Here’s why France wants to ban bottled water

Compare and contrast: ‘Environmental nonsense’: Here’s why France wants to ban bottled water

EuroNews Green


A French politician has called for a ban on small plastic water bottles, calling them “completely absurd” and “environmental nonsense”. In France, at least 13 billion plastic bottles are produced every year. To make it worse, a significant proportion of them are not recycled, with a large number of them ending up in the oceans, which causes vast environmental damage. Nevertheless, France does actually have extensive legislation covering single-use plastics already in place. Click here to read the story.

Replacing Canada’s crumbling water, road infrastructure would cost more than $300B: Statistics Canada

Replacing Canada’s crumbling water, road infrastructure would cost more than $300B: Statistics Canada

CBC


The Statistics Canada survey suggests that more than a tenth of Canada’s water systems are considered to be in “poor” or “very poor” condition. It estimates that replacing those systems would cost $106.5 billion.   Click here to read the story.

‘We saw the water levels rise’: Langley-area neighbourhood hit by damaging flood

‘We saw the water levels rise’: Langley-area neighbourhood hit by damaging flood

CTV News


“We saw the water levels rise and we were confused and concerned and after that we realized this was going to become a bigger problem.” Several neighbours told CTV News that they believe work being done nearby on Highway 1 resulted in a blockage to the draining system.   Click here to read the story. Click the following link for more information on Climate and Severe Weather.

How can B.C. protect itself from the next atmospheric river?

How can B.C. protect itself from the next atmospheric river?

CBC

 

Environment Canada said daily rainfall records were set across the Lower Mainland, including in West Vancouver, which received about 190 millimetres of rain. As officials deal with the aftermath of the weekend storm, some are considering what more needs to be done to plan for heavy rainfall as severe weather events become more frequent.   Click here to read the story. Click the following link for more information on Climate and Severe Weather.

Compare and contrast: COP16: Colombia launches ‘Water Police’ to safeguard rivers and water sources

Compare and contrast: COP16: Colombia launches ‘Water Police’ to safeguard rivers and water sources

The City Paper Bogota 


8,000 police officers will safeguard Columbia’s vital water resources, including rivers, lakes, reservoirs, high-altitude wetlands – p ramos – and endangered watersheds, the new Water Police will be equipped with specialized training and technical expertise, enabling the officers to undertake educational, operational, and proactive initiatives aimed at addressing growing environmental threats.   Click here to read the story.

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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.