PWRC Annual Report 2021-2022
Pacific Water Research Centre (PWRC) has released its Annual Report 2021-2022. The reporting period (January 2021- June 2022) was a time of impressive renewal and growth for the Centre. In September 2021, PWRC transitioned its administrative support from the Faculty of Environment (FENV) to the Faculty of Applied Studies (FAS). This transition was accompanied by by envisioning and planning for the next five years, including setting up strategic objectives, targets, and timelines. The SFU office of Vice President Research and International reviewed the application submitted by PWRC and approved it for a period of five years. In early 2022, FAS provided lab space to PWRC in its state-of-the-art Sustainable Energy Engineering Building on the SFU Surrey Campus. This approval and support by the SFU leadership is indicative of the value that PWRC has generated for SFU and the water research community since its inception in 2015.
The research work of PWRC and its policy impact continued during the reporting period. Two notable achievements were: (a) the conclusion of a multi-year, trinational project on flood-costing, and (b) the continued and expanded support for the PWRC project "Nutrition through Engagement and Agricultural Technologies (NEAT)." The former project was supported by the Commission on Environmental Conservation (CEC) and engaged experts from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The remarkable achievement for the CEC project was the engagement of a broad range of stakeholders including interested government agencies, Indigenous community representatives, private sector partners, and domain experts. The outputs from the project included policy recommendations provided to the federal governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The N-EAT project focuses on improving the health, prosperity, and economic wellbeing of Indigenous communities in BC to achieve food sovereignty while ensuring sustainable access to water and energy. PWRC works with Indigenous leaders to build capacity in their communities to be self-reliant in a way that increases their resilience to societal disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the environmental stresses related to climate change. In the reporting period, the NEAT project expanded its collaboration in addition to continued work with Kitasoo / Xai'xais First Nation, and engaged with the Old Massett village in Haida Gwaii and the Stó:lo Nation in BC. This continuation was enabled through the generous external funding provided by the Willow Grove Foundation, Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC), and the Commission for Environmental Commission (CEC).
Looking ahead, there are two areas of action that will be significantly important in the 2022-2023 period. First, the organizational elements of PWRC - including its Steering Committee and an external Advisory Board - will be renewed. These mechanisms are meant to provide directional and strategic guidance to PWRC as it tackles new and emerging challenges. Second, PWRC aims to expand its project base - most notably collaborating with the SFU Surrey Campus in creating new student-engaged projects, which are based on the underlying notion of using SFU as a “living lab.”
Read the full report here.