Partnership for Safe Water in Canada: broadening program appeal throughout North America July 23, 2014Partnership News During 2013, the Partnership for Safe Water program opened to international utility participation. Some of the first international utilities to take advantage of this step are located in Canada - and many utilities in Quebec have been participating in the Programme d'excellence en eau potable (PEXEP), Quebec's version of the Partnership program, which has been managed by Reseau Environnement, for many years. The AWWA Canadian Affairs Committee teamed up with the Partnership for Safe Water at ACE14 to develop greater awareness about the Partnership's Treatment Plant and Distribution System Optimization Programs in Canada. There are many avenues that may be used to raise awareness and communicate to utilities in Canada that these programs are an international resource with a mission to help protect public health through treatment plant and distribution system optimization. AWWA’s Canadian Affairs Committee assembled a group of dedicated water professionals from across Canada to spearhead the Partnership subcommittee for provinces outside of Quebec. Members include: Steve Brubacher (Urban Systems); Donald Ellis (Quebec Ministry of Enviroment); Andre Caza (City of Montreal); Reid Campbell (Halifax Water); Tom Moulton (EMCO); Dan Limacher (City of Calgary); and Barb Martin, the Partnership Manager at AWWA in the United States. These volunteers, along with members of local sections and section staff, have been tapped to bring the Partnership's message to conferences and section meetings throughout Canada in 2014 and into 2015. Outreach activities coming together Efforts are underway to educate Canadian sections on the Partnership program and the value it provides to utilities and AWWA sections. Webinars have been presented to Canadian sections, outlining program features and benefits for regional utilities. This strategy will continue in the future with presentations being developed for events across Canada, including: • Canadian Affairs Committee meetings (ongoing) • Canadian Drinking Water Conference (2014) • Americana Conference (2015) • Atlantic Canada Section Conference (2014) and additional AWWA Section Conferences throughout 2015 To support these efforts, the group will collaborate closely to share the Partnership’s value message with other utilities through: • Section newsletters • Section and subscriber websites • E-newsletters and email outreach • Articles for section publications Partnership staff and volunteers are excited about the enthusiasm that the Canadian Affairs Committee has demonstrated for the program, and the commitment the entire group has expressed in helping grow our programs in Canada. This outreach has been successful as we welcome our newest Canadian subscriber to the Partnership Program: Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission in Chatham, Ontario. We thank all of our Canadian friends and colleagues for the ongoing assistance, attention, and consideration that they provide to further the mission of this important public health initiative.