World Water Day events at Laurier to focus on water in Ontario and the Northwest Territories

March 15, 2019

Waterloo – Water is essential to us all. To examine water issues in Ontario and the Northwest Territories, Wilfrid Laurier University is hosting a day and evening of public events for World Water Day on March 21-22.

Aligned with the United Nations World Water Day 2019 theme “Leaving no one behind,” the events include a talk by David Livingstone, a Yellowknife-based environmental stewardship expert, panel discussions on water as it relates to Waterloo Region and Canada’s First Nations, and a student poster session. The best student poster presentations will win prizes and all attendees can vote for the best poster.

“Water is a global issue and World Water Day events are being held around the world,” said Jonathan Mark Wilson, co-director of the Laurier Institute for Water Science (LIWS) and an associate professor of biology. “At Laurier, we are raising awareness and also highlighting some of the work that we are doing in this area.”

Laurier’s events will be hosted by LIWS, Global Water Futures, Northern Water Futures and the Laurier Water Science Students Association.

Livingstone’s talk on Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m., at the Paul Martin Centre on Waterloo campus, will focus on water stewardship in the Northwest Territories. The talk will be preceded by a welcome reception at 6 p.m., open to all.

Livingstone, who has worked in the North for 40 years, spent 33 years with the federal government working on environmental and resource development issues. Since 2009, he has headed Holarctic Environmental Consulting, working across the North and internationally. Among other roles, he chairs the science committee of the Government of the Northwest Territories-Laurier Partnership and is a director of the Giant Mine Oversight Board.

Speakers for the Friday, March 22 events, which will be held in the Senate and Board Chambers, include:

• Robert Case, associate professor of Social Development Studies, Renison University College (affiliated with the University of Waterloo) and chair of Wellington Water Watchers;
• Eric Hodgins, manager of hydrogeology and source water at the Region of Waterloo, Water Services;
• Kahontiyoha Denise McQueen, of Six Nations (Turtle Clan), community navigator for Co-Creation of Indigenous Water Quality Tools; and
• Mary Anne Caibaiosai (MSW ’17), an Anishinaabe artist, community helper, educator and host of the All Nations Grand River Water Walk.

A full schedule is available at the LIWS World Water Day webpage. All events are free and open to the public. Those who would like to take advantage of the complimentary lunch on Friday are asked to register on Eventbrite.

NT5