News

As part of the Collaborative Water Program’s WATER 601 course, student teams delivered final presentations featuring integrated water management solutions to complex water challenges, sharing their ideas with a panel of experts from the University of Waterloo and the Canada Water Agency (CWA). The exercise goes beyond a typical class assignment. It asks students to think across disciplines, weigh ecological, social and economic trade-offs and deliver practical recommendations that could inform real policy and practice.

Sunlight-powered process converts plastic waste into a valuable chemical without added emissions

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a way to turn plastic waste into acetic acid, the main ingredient of vinegar, using sunlight. 

Iban Ortuzar Fernandez, Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF) in the Department of Economics, joins the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission as an Economic Analyst.

On the 17th and 18th of October, 2025, the University of Winnipeg hosted the 35th Annual Conference of the Canadian Resource and Environmental Economics Association. Two members of the Water Economics Research Group (WERG), Iban Ortuzar Fernandez and Khusro Mir presented their research addressing pressing questions in environmental economics in Canada. Also Water Institute member and Professor Emerita Margaret Insley participated. She organizes the next annual conference in Waterloo.

In a recent CBC News feature, Water Institute executive director and economics professor Roy Brouwer discusses concerns that Ontario continues to undervalue freshwater resources and overlook the long-term environmental costs of groundwater extraction.

Roy Brouwer, Professor in the Department of Economics, University Research Chair in Water Resources Economics, and Executive Director of the Water Institute, has been appointed to the Science Advisory Board – Science Priority Committee of the International Joint Commission (IJC), a binational partnership between Canada and the United States managing shared waters.

This week the Water Institute hosts the last The Value of Water in Canada webinar. Since its inception and launch in early 2022, the webinar series has provided a valuable platform for thought-provoking discussions on the value of water and water valuation. Bringing together economists, water resource managers, researchers, water protection advocates, consultants and private and public sector practitioners, the series explored cutting-edge practices and the growing demand for water valuation insights across various industry sectors.

In late June, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) in collaboration with the Toronto Region Board of Trade, hosted the Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum. This significant event united leaders from various sectors to tackle critical challenges, explore how to responsibly grow the Great Lakes regional economy, and protect the Great Lakes – one of North America’s key economic regions.

Dr. Roy Brouwer, Water Institute Executive Director, Professor and University Research Chair in Water Resources Economics, will be testifying April 18^th before the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development as part of a panel of witnesses called to share their views on the state of freshwater in Canada.

Water economics students visit a local wastewater treatment plant.

In an era defined by the complex interplay of climate change, population growth, and globalization, efficient and equitable management of water resources is more crucial than ever. Water scarcity, pollution, and unequal access to water and sanitation have emerged as pressing issues, underscoring the necessity for a well-prepared workforce armed with a deep understanding of water economics.