Walkerton Clean Water Centre

About

The Walkerton Clean Water Centre (Centre) is an operational service agency of the Government of Ontario established in October 2004 as part of the province's response to the Walkerton Inquiry Report. The Centre provides scheduled public and on-site training for drinking water owners, operators, operating authorities and postsecondary students across Ontario, with a focus on smaller and remote systems, including those serving First Nations. The Centre's Technology Demonstration Facility, with its leading-edge drinking water technologies, is an effective platform for hands-on training and research.

To-date, training has been delivered to more than 50,000 operators and professionals in the drinking water industry. Maintenancefest events are organized every year to provide hands-on training. Our annual Maintenancefest, held at the Centre, usually attracts 110 participants, while regional events bring together 30 to 50 participants each. The Centre also delivers provincewide workshops and seminars to provide information on regulatory and technology issues to the drinking water industry. The Centre offers hands-on-training to postsecondary institutions including the 16 colleges that deliver the entry-level course. The Centre supports research and transfers information and knowledge to owners, operators, operating authorities and the public.

History

Established in 2004, the Walkerton Clean Water Centre is an operational service agency of the Government of Ontario. It is responsible for delivering education, information and advice on water treatment, equipment, technology and operational requirements and environmental issues related to drinking water. It develops and delivers training to drinking water system owners, operators, and operating authorities across Ontario with a focus on smaller, remote and older systems, including First Nations systems. It also provides advice, information and promotes public education on water safety and quality issues. In addition, the Centre provides advice to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change on research needed to achieve and maintain high quality safe drinking water.

The Centre is located in the Town of Walkerton in the Municipality of Brockton, and has both a local and a provincial profile, offering services throughout the province. As it has expanded its drinking water training programs and related services, the Centre's profile has grown to become the province’s leading centre for applied research, technology demonstration and high quality training.

Mission

The Centre exists for the purpose of educating and supporting our clients as they address their water system risks in order to safeguard Ontario’s drinking water. 

Vision

An agency known for its innovative and practical approach to building knowledge and capacity for those responsible for water systems, emphasizing system vulnerabilities. 

Mandate

The mandate of the Walkerton Clean Water Centre is:

• to deliver drinking water education and training for owners, operators and operating authorities of drinking water systems
• In collaboration with other training organizations, to coordinate the accessibility and availability of education and training for owners, operators and operating authorities of drinking water systems
• to provide support to owners, operators and operating authorities with a primary focus on small, remote and older systems by providing information and advice about those topics outlined in subsection 3(2) Ontario Regulation 304/04 made under the Development Corporations Act
• As part of education and training, to demonstrate leading-edge drinking water treatment technology to owners, operators and operating authorities
• to assess research gaps and needs to achieve and maintain safe drinking water, advise the Ministry of the Environment (the Ministry) on research priorities and to respond to the resulting direction from the Minister of the Environment (Minister). The Centre can sponsor high-priority drinking water research that contributes directly to the Centre’s objects as set out in Ontario Regulation 304/04 made under the Development Corporations Act
• to provide, both directly and through alliances with other organizations and in coordination with the Ministry, public outreach and education related to the Centre’s mandate
• To make technical, scientific and regulatory information related to drinking water more readily available including information about the statutory standard of care requirement in section 19 of the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2002
• to provide other services as described in any policy direction issued by, or set out in any agreement with the Minister, that helps to safeguard drinking water

Within this mandate, the Centre places particular emphasis on addressing three critical gaps in training identified in the Report of the Walkerton Inquiry, namely:

1. accessibility of training for operators in small and remote communities
2. availability of required training
3. training for First Nations operators

Statement of Values

At WCWC we will strive to provide a positive environment for our clients and employees, which is characterized by honesty, trust and accountability. We will live these values by:

• Being accountable to our clients and stakeholders
• Promoting fairness and equity
• Showing respect through genuine and transparent communications
• Providing a dynamic environment which encourages ideas, innovation, and collaboration
• Being a responsive, client-driven service organization