Panel: Managing Costs and Risks of Water Service Delivery Through Natural Infrastructure: Examples from the Prairies

Join this panel discussion at the 2024 National Water and Wastewater Conference hosted by the Natural Assets Initiative (NAI) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to learn how natural infrastructure can help support cost-effective water service delivery and manage climate and other risks to water services.

Focusing on examples from the Prairies Region of Canada, you'll learn how municipalities are starting to account for, value and proactively manage natural assets like wetlands, forests, grasslands and riparian areas to support stormwater management and flood mitigation, to protect drinking water and build resilience to drought. Speakers include municipal staff from the Prairies Region and representatives from NAI and IISD.
 

Our Speakers

Dimple Roy is the Director of Water Management at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). In this role, she leads IISD’s work on water-related policy analysis focused on integrated management of water and related resources in Manitoba, in Canada, and globally. She also directs IISD’s Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS) initiative in Canada. 

With a background in environmental management, Dimple has over 20 years of experience in addressing public policy systems in the water sector, including on sustainable agriculture, natural infrastructure, and watershed-based climate adaptation. In these efforts, she has focused her efforts on ways to improve evidence-based decision making, incorporating economic, social, and environmental considerations into making effective decisions related to water.

Her work has spanned enabling science networks on the African Great Lakes, analyzing irrigation subsidies in India, ensuring water considerations are included in agricultural land investments in Asia and Africa, designing adaptive policies in India and Canada and scaling up the use of natural infrastructure for improved water in Canada. Dimple sits on a number of boards and committees, including the International Red River Watershed Board of the International Joint Commission and the Expert Advisory Council for the Government of Manitoba. 

Roy Brooke is the Executive Director of the Natural Assets Initiative (NAI), a national non-profit. Roy helps local governments and others take action on their natural assets, and recognize the value of nature for risk management and delivering resilient infrastructure services. Roy has worked in Canada, Europe and Africa in urban sustainability, national politics, international development and humanitarian affairs. He served as Director of Sustainability for the City of Victoria from 2011 to 2013, and for the United Nations between 2003 and 2011. 

Duane Nicol is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Selkirk, Manitoba. Prior becoming the CAO (city manager) in May of 2014, Duane was a three-term city councillor from 2002 to 2014, serving 2 years as Deputy Mayor. During that time, he was the driving force behind the establishment of Selkirk’s public transit system. Duane has an honours degree in political studies from the University of Manitoba, an honours Business Analyst certificate from Red River College, a Professional Certificate in Asset Management Planning from the IPWEA and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Victoria. Under his leadership, Selkirk has become recognized for its environmental stewardship and progressive, award-winning approach to managing municipal infrastructure. Duane is the Past President of the Manitoba Municipal Administrators, teaches Leadership in Municipal Management at the University of Manitoba, serves as Vice-Chair of Efficiency Manitoba, and is an advocate for asset management and climate action in Manitoba’s municipal sector.

Resources:

• State of Play Report for Natural Infrastructure on the Canadian Prairies (IISD)
• Natural Infrastructure and Prairie Prosperity (IISD)
• Guide: Planning with Nature in the Prairies (NAI)
• Guide: Nature is Infrastructure - How to include natural assets in asset management plans (NAI)
• Guide: Developing Levels of Service for Natural Assets (NAI)
• Towards a Collaborative Strategy for Municipal Natural Asset Management: Private Lands (NAI)
• Selkirk ‘exemplary example’ of a prairie community preparing for changing climate using innovative and natural infrastructure (City of Selkirk)
• City of Selkirk Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (City of Selkirk)
• City of Selkirk Capital Asset Management (City of Selkirk)
• Financing for Natural Infrastructure Projects (IISD)
• Estimate of Natural Infrastructure Public Grant Funding in Canada and in the Canadian Prairies (IISD)
• A Scan of Natural Infrastructure Approaches (IISD)
• Land, Water & Natural Resources Inventory with WMR and Southern Chiefs' Organization (Treaty 1 Territory) 
• City of Edmonton Natural Asset Management project 
• City of Saskatoon Natural Asset Management project
• IISD's Natural Infrastructure for Water Solutions (NIWS)
• Natural Assets Initiative (NAI)

Thanks to our panel partner:

Funded in part by: