an economist and lawyer by training, serves as co-director of the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies and leads the POLIS Water Sustainability Project. His work focuses on water sustainability, sound resource management, public policy development, and ecologically-based legal and institutional reform. Oliver is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law and School of Public Administration and is a fellow of the Environmental Law Centre. In 2012, Oliver co-developed and delivered B.C.’s first water law course at the University of Victoria. In 2009, he helped lead the writing of the book Making the Most of the Water We Have: The Soft Path Approach to Water Management.

is a consultant on climate change adaptation, water issues, and natural disaster loss mitigation. Jim was the first Director of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, and has co-chaired several Canada-US Boards for the International Joint Commission. He served for 8 years as Assistant Deputy Minister at Environment Canada responsible for water and climate programs. From 1986 to 1989, Jim was the Director of Technical Cooperation and Acting Deputy Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Geneva, and served as the WMO lead on establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Jim is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has been awarded the Massey Medal of the Canadian Geographical Society and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University.

is a lawyer and author of the books Denying the Source: The Crisis of First Nations Water Rights and Ethical Water. Merrell-Ann is legal counsel and advisor to a number of Indigenous governments, non-Indigenous governments, and organizations, and regularly speaks on topics addressing environmental issues, Aboriginal rights, and governance. As Founding Executive Director of the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER), Merrell-Ann works to assist First Nations in addressing environmental and sustainability issues facing their communities. She was Chief Negotiator on behalf of the Government of the Northwest Territories in their negotiation of transboundary water agreements in the Mackenzie River Basin and in negotiating Thaidene Nene national and territorial parks. Merrell-Ann currently serves as a Commissioner on the International Joint Commission.

is currently the Chair of Public Policy at Massey College and a distinguished senior fellow both the Munk School of Global Affairs and Massey College at the University of Toronto. Tom has had a distinguished career in government, academia, and philanthropy. He served as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and was a key strategist on repatriation of the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Many in the water world will know Tom from his time as president and CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation where he championed their well-known DataStream program, and his current role as an advisor to the Lake Winnipeg Foundation. He has also represented Canada internationally on notable water policy efforts at the UN and as Secretary General of the InterAction Council. For his contributions to heritage education, civics, and citizenship, Dr. Axworthy was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002.

is a Professional Engineer and a practicing environmental consultant. He is a past member of the Manitoba Clean Environment Commission and Board of Trustees for the Fort Whyte Environmental Education Centre in Winnipeg. Norm was involved in water issues from a number of different perspectives during his 32-year career in the Manitoba public service, the last 15 of which he served as Deputy Minister of the departments of Environment, Conservation, and Water Stewardship. He represented Manitoba in inter-provincial and international water negotiations and was involved in the Prairie Provinces Water Board, watershed boards under the International Joint Commission, and in the development and administration of provincial water legislation. Norm was the founding Deputy Minister for the first all-water department of government in Canada.

served in the Northwest Territories Legislature from 1995-2015, 14 of those years as a Cabinet Minister. His roles have been diverse, including Deputy Premier, Government House Leader, Minister of Health and Social Services, Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Minister Responsible for the NWT Power Corporation. He has worked extensively in the areas of water, the environment, and collaboration with Indigenous governments. He was responsible for and led the development of the co-drafting approach in the NWT government that resulted in the new Wildlife Act and Species at Risk Act. Michael is currently the Principal of North Raven, senior political advisor to National Chief Norman Yakeleya of the Dene Nation, a member of the Air Tindi Limited board of directors, and co-facilitator of the Collaborative Leadership Initiative in southern Manitoba. He lives in Fort Smith, NWT.

has been at the forefront of transboundary water resource management for 30 years, working in a multidisciplinary environment with engineers, scientists, lawyers, academics, administrators, and environmentalists at the Canada-U.S. International Joint Commission. He has led and participated in numerous Canada-U.S. water resource studies and assessments. For 12 years he was Secretary of the Canadian Section of the IJC, responsible for the administration of the Canadian Secretariat and providing policy advice to the presidential and prime ministerial-appointed commissioners. Dr. Clamen holds an Adjunct Professorship at McGill University, where he assists with the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Masters Program and teaches a graduate-level course on Water Law and Policy.

is Global Water Futures Chair and Fellow at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. He is the co-author of the UN Water in the World We Want report on post-2015 global sustainable development goals relating to water. Bob is committed to translating scientific research outcomes into language decision-makers can use to craft timely and meaningful public policy and to bringing international examples to bear on local water issues. He is Senior Advisor on water issues for the InterAction Council, a global public policy forum composed of more than thirty former Heads of State. He has authored or co-authored over 30 books, including Cold Matters: The State & Fate of Canada’s Snow and Ice, Saving Lake Winnipeg, and Flood Forecast: Climate Risk and Resiliency in Canada.

is self-employed and works as an advisor for industries on community relations and environmental compliance. Previously, Marc was involved for over 25 years ensuring communities and stakeholders are informed and can participate in decision-making regarding water governance and usage issues in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region. He has also served as senior advisor on St. Lawrence River-Great Lakes transboundary water issues at Nature Québec. Marc was a member of the Navigation Consultation Committee of the federal-provincial St. Lawrence Plan. Marc was President of the Regional Advisory Council on Marine Oil Spills-Quebec region and a member of the Canadian section of the International Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River Board under the International Joint Commission. Marc retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994 as Base Environmental officer after being active for 21 years.

Served as Director of the Water Planning and Management Branch in Environment Canada for 13 years, from 1978 to 1991. In that capacity, he negotiated and administered numerous Canada-U.S. and federal-provincial water Agreements, and was the primary author of the 1987 Federal Water Policy. Since 1991, he has served as a water and environmental policy consultant in many countries and has collaborated with numerous non-governmental and academic institutions. Over the years, Ralph has co-chaired five International Joint Commission Boards and Committees. Most recently, he was a member of the Government of the Northwest Territories Team negotiating bilateral water agreements in the multi-jurisdictional Mackenzie River Basin. In December 2019, Ralph was awarded the Order of Canada "for his enduring commitment to conserving and protecting freshwater resources in Canada and around the globe".

Has close to 40 years of water-related experience working both nationally and internationally. He spent 28 years with Environment Canada working in the areas of water quantity, water quality, and climate. His last position at Environment Canada was as Director of Water Survey of Canada, where he also served as the Hydrological Adviser for Canada. In 2006 he was appointed the Canadian Chair of the International Upper Great Lakes Study, a five year binational study responsible for developing a new water regulation plan. Upon completion of the study in 2012, he became Director of Science and Engineering at the Canadian Section of the International Joint Commission (IJC). In 2014 he retired from the IJC and continues to work on projects for the IJC, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and World Meteorological Organization.

Is a project manager at the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources. His previous experience includes working in non-profit, consulting, and public sector roles, most recently as the director of the FLOW. He has been a FLOW member since 2021. Richard graduated from the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in 2019 with a Master of Resource Management (Planning) degree, where his research focused on watershed co-governance in British Columbia. Richard also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Political Studies and History from the University of Manitoba.

Emily holds a Master of Water Science, Policy and Management from Oxford University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Public Policy with a focus in Aquatic Resources from St Francis Xavier University. Emily also has experience as a digital marketing strategist with an emphasis on working with environmentally conscious brands. She continues to write and publish for numerous magazines on a range of topics including Canadian water management, environmental communication, and corporate social responsibility. Emily has worked with numerous non-profits and youth groups in the water sector and continues to find new and innovative ways to communicate water policy reform across sectors.