Global Water Futures Observatories Launch Event

Join us for a nationwide launch of the Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO), Canada's premier national university-operated scientific freshwater observation network. The event will be hosted at the University of Saskatchewan and online, with options to join a gathering event at the University of Windsor or University of Waterloo. See below for details on partner universities offering gathering events.

About GWFO

Date/Time:
Wednesday April 17, 2024
12:00 - 2:30 PM CST

Location:
Convocation Hall
(Room 120 Peter MacKinnon Building)
107 Administration Place
University of Saskatchewan
AND
Online via Zoom

Register for In-Person at USask  Register for Online (Zoom)

 Gathering events to watch the GWFO Launch are currently organized at the following institutions:

  • University of Windsor
  • University of Waterloo

Gathering Events Information and Registration

Program

All listed times in Central Standard Time (Saskatchewan)

12:00-1:00 PM Welcome reception (light lunch and beverages, in-person only)
GWFO Launch Event (Zoom opens)
1:00-1:05 PM

Opening Remarks

  • John Pomeroy, GWFO Director, University of Saskatchewan
1:05-1:10 PM

Event Opening

  • Elder Roland Duquette
1:10-1:35 PM

Welcoming Remarks

  • Terry Fonstad, Associate Vice-President Research (Ethics and Infrastructure), University of Saskatchewan
  • Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Special Advisor for Water
  • Corinne Schuster-Wallace, Executive Director, Global Institute for Water Security
1:35-1:50 PM

GWFO Partner Remarks

  • Christopher Marsh, Research Scientist, Environment and Climate Change Canada
  • Lori Worm, Interim Executive Director, Lands and Resources Secretariat, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations
  • Tim Johnson, Research Scientist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
1:50-2:20 PM

Overview of GWFO and Facilities

  • GWFO and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) facilities
    John Pomeroy, Director, GWFO
  • GWFO and the McMaster University facilities
    Mike Waddington, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Ecohydrology, McMaster
  • GWFO and the Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) facilities
    Jonathan Newman, Vice-President: Research, WLU
  • GWFO and the University of Waterloo (UWaterloo) facilities
    Philippe Van Cappellen, Professor, Canada Excellence Research Chair Laureate in Ecohydrology, UWaterloo
  • GWFO and the Real-Time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON) facilities
    Aaron Fisk, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Changing Great Lakes Ecosystems, University of Windsor
2:20-2:30 PM Question and answer period, photo opportunity

About GWFO

The Global Water Futures Observatories (GWFO) is Canada's premier national university-operated scientific freshwater observation network. It operates 64 instrumented basins, lakes, rivers, and wetlands, 15 deployable measurement systems, and 18 state-of-the-art water laboratories that monitor Canada's drainage basins and aquatic systems in unprecedented detail at a national scale, across seven provinces and territories, including the Great Lakes Basin and six other major river basins.

GWFO’s vision is to serve as a national water observatory consisting of a network of instrumented water observing sites, supported by deployable observing systems and major laboratories, that provides open access water data and the necessary infrastructure to collect supplementary data, which informs the development and testing of water prediction models, monitors changes in water sources, underpins diagnosis of risks to water security and helps design solutions to ensure the long-term sustainability of Canadian water resources.

GWFO provides open access to its meteorological, glaciological, hydrological, water quality and freshwater data, which contributes to the development and evaluation of water prediction models, monitors changes in water sources, supports the identification of water security risks, and aids in designing strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of Canadian water resources.

Led by the University of Saskatchewan and eight other universities, GWFO collaborates with Indigenous communities, governments, industry and agriculture to support water services and management. It supports transformative water research that improves agricultural water management, water supply forecasts, river and lake health monitoring and develops advanced capabilities to predict water futures for Canada in a time of rapid global warming.

Code of Conduct

All attendees are expected to follow and uphold the rules described in the event Code of Conduct:

  1. Treat all participants with dignity and respect in accordance with the principle of Manācihitowin: a Cree/Michif phrase that translates to 'let us respect each other'.
  2. Participate with academic integrity in accordance with the University of Saskatchewan’s Guidelines for Academic Conduct.
  3. Provide your true professional identity, affiliation, and, where appropriate, contact information, at registration, and during attendance and conference sessions, as required.
  4. Demonstrate respect for others by practicing active listening skills (e.g., keeping microphones muted while others speak, asking questions, engaging in an open dialogue of ideas).
  5. Respect the rules and policies of the meeting hosts including the digital platform providers.
  6. There will be no tolerance for any behavior that is considered by a participant to be harassment, bullying, threatening, violent, or aggressive.
  7. Should anyone engage in conduct that constitutes harassment, bullying, threatening, violence, or aggression they will be immediately removed from the event.
  8. If you need to report a violation of this code of conduct please email gwfo_secretariat@usask.ca. This account will be monitored throughout the event.
  9. Practice accountability by working together to identify problems and adjust practices to create a welcoming environment for everyone.

Gathering Events at Partner Institutions

University of Windsor

  • Time: 2:30 PM EDT
  • Location: Davidson Conference Center at GLIER (2990 Riverside Drive West)
  • Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be provided
  • Parking instructions to follow
  • Registration: Please RSVP by emailing Katelynn Johnson and/or Aaron Fisk by April 12

University of Waterloo

  • Time: 2:30 PM EDT
  • Location: UWaterloo GWF Lobby Area (opposite PHY 3011)
  • Attendance: Limited seating. Please email Bhaleka Persaud to confirm participation
  • Light refreshments will be provided

GWFO Partners

Event Details

When:
Time:
12:00 PM - 02:30 PM CST
Location:
Convocation Hall, University of Saskatchewan; Online (Zoom); GWFO Partner Institutions (See event description)