Water & Business in Canada Part III: Water Technology & Innovation Gaining Stronger Ground

A major and often overlooked component of sustainable water management and the role business is technology. The assumption, at times, is that an innovative solution for water treatment and conservation is present, and since the market is in need, so the technology will be available. As dry parts of the world become drier, such as my homeland of Israel, technologies that recycle wastewater to drinking quality is imperative. While innovative water technology can help manage resources more efficiently, it cannot solve problems stemming from poor governance and lack of consumer awareness.

At the same time as the issue of leadership is still being debated, there is a definite need - globally and across many sectors - for more efficient, accessible ways to manage freshwater. Indeed, there is no denying that a new, fresh momentum for water technologies development has sprung up over the last decade in Canada, and specifically, Ontario. Like green energy, it harnesses innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that help build small businesses into bigger ones and, eventually, into a thriving industry.

Ontario's Water Opportunities and Conservation Act (2010) is a bold move by the provincial government to "make Ontario the North American leader in the development and sale of water conservation and treatment technologies."[1] One of its key initiatives in terms of driving investment and growth in the Ontario water sector is the creation of the Water Technology Acceleration Partnership (WaterTAP), meant to support R&D and commercialization of technologies.

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Meirav Even-Har is a Justmeans staff blogger. She reports on Canadian CSR issues. Meirav is an independent sustainability consultant and writer working in Toronto, Canada.