Research Talks: Water Crisis in Waterloo Region
Understanding water security through research, policy, infrastructure and community action
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Time: 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick Street, Kitchener, ON
Clean, reliable water is often taken for granted in Canada—but growing pressures from climate change, population growth, aging infrastructure and governance challenges are reshaping that reality.
Research Talks: Water Crisis in Waterloo Region brings together researchers, practitioners and community leaders to examine how we balance growth, governance and sustainability in shaping our water future.
The panel begins with Indigenous perspectives on water, grounding the conversation in long-standing relationships of stewardship and responsibility. From there, speakers explore local groundwater reliance, the role of community engagement and the complexities of water governance across jurisdictions. Infrastructure experts will explain why water systems take decades to plan and billions of dollars to build, and why delayed investment creates lasting consequences.
Research perspectives are woven throughout, highlighting how science informs water treatment, ecosystem protection and long-term resilience. Global case studies—from Texas and Australia to Europe—demonstrate that water challenges are shared worldwide and that proven solutions exist when communities act early and collaboratively.
Designed for community audiences, this free event emphasizes accessibility, practical understanding and pathways for engagement—empowering participants to better understand water systems and their role in protecting them.
"Research Talks" is a signature event hosted by the Office of the Vice-President, Research and International at the University of Waterloo. The event includes a combination of presentations by Waterloo researchers and external speakers who share insights about their work. Each presentation is followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A session with the audience, focusing on relevant topics and challenges.
Agenda
6:00 p.m. Doors open and light refreshments
6:30 p.m. Presentations begin
- Opening remarks (Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International, University of Waterloo)
- Panelists and presentation topics:
- Dustin Garrick: Lessons for Waterloo from water allocation reforms in groundwater‑dependent cities
- Ellie Joseph:
- David L. Rudolph: Managing our most strategic natural resource: Groundwater reservoirs of the Region of Waterloo
7:30 p.m. Moderated discussion and Q & A with the audience (Kirsten Müller, Associate Vice-President, Research Grants and Infrastructure, University of Waterloo)
8:00 p.m. Informal networking
8:30 p.m. Event concludes
Light refreshments will be provided.
About the panelists
Dustin Garrick, PhD
Associate Professor and University Research Chair in Water and Development Policy, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo
Dustin Garrick is University Research Chair in Water and Development Policy at the University of Waterloo and Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He works across a network of partnerships to understand the drivers of water scarcity and assess how communities and governments are responding to competition and conflict over water. His recent work focuses on thirsty cities confronting infrastructure deficits, climate risks, and loss of surrounding croplands. This research has received support and awards from research councils in Australia, Canada, the USA, and the UK. Dr. Garrick regularly serves as advisor to community groups, governments, and the World Bank and is currently leading a report mapping Canada's groundwater governance landscape, commissioned by the Gordon Foundation, and scheduled for release later in 2026.
Ellie Joseph
Two Row on the Grand Co-founder; Retired teacher
Ellie Joseph is a member of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, born and raised on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, where she continues to live along the banks of the Grand River. Following a distinguished 37-year career as an elementary school teacher in the public education system, Ellie retired from classroom teaching but remains actively involved in education through volunteer work and community engagement.
In 2013, Ellie participated in the 16-day Two Row Renewal Campaign, a journey from Albany to Manhattan along the Hudson River that honoured the Guswenta, or Two Row Wampum, and its enduring message of mutual respect and coexistence. Inspired by that experience, she joined three fellow participants in establishing what is now known as Two Row on the Grand.
This annual 10-day paddle journey travels from Cambridge to Port Maitland, bringing together members of the Six Nations community and allies to strengthen relationships, share cultural teachings and deepen connections to the land and waters of the Grand River. Along the route, participants engage in learning, reflection and dialogue guided by Haudenosaunee teachings and Indigenous perspectives.
As a grassroots volunteer-led initiative, Two Row on the Grand has grown significantly since its founding, with participation more than doubling over the years. The program continues to foster understanding, reconciliation, environmental stewardship, and meaningful community connections.
For more information, visit Two Row on the Grand.
David L. Rudolph, PhD, PEng
Professor, Faculty of Science, University of Waterloo
David Rudolph is a Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo. He specializes and teaches in the areas of regional hydrogeology and groundwater protection and management. He has participated extensively with municipal authorities, including the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, in groundwater development and sustainable management strategies.
Registration form
Research Talks is supported by the Research Support Fund.
View webcasts and presentation slides of previous Research Talks:
Rural community development and wellbeing, with guest panelists:
- Dr. Karla Boluk - Redesigning and regenerating tourism with care and intentionality: Widening the inclusion lens in St. Jacobs Village (PDF)
- Dr. Feng Chang - Bridging worlds: Stories of how rural voices drive health research (PDF)
- Dr. Tejal Patel - Designing technology to support older adults manage their medications (PDF)
- Ellie Joseph & Jay Bailey - Two Row on the Grand | 10 year anniversary
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Watch the full event recording
Sustainable Urban Environments, with guest panelist:
- Amelia Clarke: Reaching net-zero: Climate mitigation at the city scale
- Matthew Day: Energy in the built environment
- Mohamad T. Araji and Alexander Tedesco
March 28, 2023
Societal health impacts of rising inflation and interest rates, with guest panelists:
- Jean-Paul Lam, Faculty of Arts, University of Waterloo - Exploring inflation, central bank communications and the relationship between business cycles and health outcomes
- Ellen MacEachen, Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo - The consequences of higher costs for low wage workers
- Joe Mancini, Director, The Working Centre - The social impact of unaffordable housing
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Event image gallery:
Panel
Changing health disparities: Affording people in our community fair and equitable opportunities to be healthy, with guest speakers:
- Leia Minaker - Social determinants of health: The research [PDF]
- Ashnoor Rahim - Impact of the social determinants of health on the health care system [PDF]
- Nnenna Ike - Changing health Disparities [PDF]
October 25, 2022
