On June 22, over 160 water professionals came together to celebrate innovators and influencers in the water sector at the Water’s Next Awards Gala—part of the eighth annual Canadian Water Summit in Toronto.

Water Canada editor, Katherine Balpataky said, “This year, we received nearly 60 submissions, and with the Selection Committee’s help they were whittled down to three or four finalists in each award category.”

Kat Hartwig, from Brisco, won the ‘Water Steward of the Year’ award for the work that Living Lakes Canada team has done over the years, as well as the People-NGO category for her work on conducting a national scan in partnership with SFU and University of Acadia, to assess the state of community-based water monitoring across Canada.

“I was truly grateful to accept this national award on behalf of all water stewardship groups, and closer to home, it is a way to acknowledge the dedication and devotion the amazing water stewardship groups and individuals of Columbia Basin have and the hard work that they continue to do,” Hartwig remarked.

She pointed out that “the era of climate imposed decisions regarding source water protection and water allocation for humans and the ecosystems upon which we depend, has arrived.  Twenty-first century challenges will require forging innovative, collaborative partnerships to collectively ensure economically and ecologically viable, climate resilient communities in Canada.”

Water Canada magazine’s Water’s Next Award program is the only national awards program to honour leadership across the entire water sector—including public servants, non-governmental groups, researchers, municipalities, and technology providers. Water Canada has hosted the awards to help strengthen and celebrate the thriving national community by showcasing Canada’s water leaders, champions, and innovators since 2010.

More on Kat Hartwig’s work

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