The Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) is a national organization of individuals and organizations from the public, private and academic sectors that are committed to raising awareness of the value of water and to promoting responsible and effective water resource management in Canada. CWRA membership consists of water users and water resource professionals including managers, administrators, scientists, academics, students and young professionals.

CWRA has branch organizations most provinces and members throughout Canada and beyond. Members can also participate in the affiliates dealing with education, hydrology or water and agriculture.

CWRA activities include organizing conferences, symposiums and workshops dealing with a wide range of water issues, quarterly publication of the Canadian Water Resources Journal and the newsletter, Water News, as well as publishing papers and reports.

Mission, Vision and Objectives

CWRA's strategic direction is guided by the following:

Mission

Promoting effective water management.

Vision

Water resources are managed with a commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Objectives

• to stimulate awareness and understanding of Canada’s water resources
• to encourage recognition of the high priority and value of water
• to provide a forum for the exchange of information and opinion relating to the management of Canada’s water
• to participate with appropriate agencies in international water management activities.

Executive Summary of the National Communications Plan

The CWRA Communication Plan 2014 (the ‘Plan’) is available through linking to the members’ only section of the CWRA website. The Plan is a document created to mentor new members who take on volunteer roles and initiatives with the CWRA, to aid them in the communication links, protocols, and to have a general understanding of the various parts and activities of the CWRA and its communication strategies.  The Plan outlines CWRA communication activities, our communication geography and how to make contact internally. We introduce our CWRA communication tools including our website, webinars, membership lists, logo, and how to manage such tools.

Part 1 covers the CWRA Communication Strategy by introducing the CWRA mission, vision and governing objectives. Our main objective is to be the national voice on effective water management in Canada.  Our success in achieving this goal is measured by our ability to reach the right audiences with the right messages, ultimately affecting attitude, opinion or behaviour toward water issues.

We highlight our CWRA Mission as promoting effective water management. Our CWRA Vision is that water resources are managed with a commitment to environmental, economic and social sustainability. Finally, our CWRA governing objectives are:

• To stimulate awareness and understanding of Canada’s water resources.
• To encourage recognition of the high priority and value of water.
• To provide a forum for the exchange of information and opinion relating to the management of Canada’s water.
• To participate with appropriate agencies in international water management activities.

This strategy is aligned with the policy document Sustainability Principles for Water Management in Canada: A Policy of the CWRA which outlines our sustainability ethic and water management principleshttp://www.cwra.org/en/about/policies-and-principles.

Part 2 is viewed as the CWRA Communication guidelines outlining the internal functioning of the organization relative to communication, roles of executives and volunteers, protocols to respond to media inquiries, and it outlines unique CWRA communication activities such as Project WET.

Appendices complete the Plan and contain expanded technical specifics for submitting materials to the CWRA Website, consent forms, examples and templates for announcements, the CWRA media package, and samples creating a CWRA newsletter, welcome letter.

History of the Canadian Water Resources Association

The Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) has it roots in the Western Canada Reclamation Association (WCRA) established in 1947. The WCRA was formed to promote the development, control, conservation, preservation and utilization of the water resources of Western Canada.

The WCRA's quarterly publication, Reclamation, started in 1962 to provide news, analysis of current events, the text of resolutions, and announcements of conferences and events. Reclamation was published quarterly until 1976 when it was succeeded by the Canadian Water Resources Journal and later by Water News. The Journal receives articles on a variety of water management topics. Articles are reviewed by external referees before they are edited, published or rejected.

Around 1966, the WCRA added Conservation to its name reflecting the broadening of its objectives. It became a national organization in 1968 and the name was changed to the Canadian Water Resources Association.

Water News, the CWRA's newsletter was first published in 1982. It provides news about national and international events, activities in the regions, conference announcements and news from the Branches, CANCID, CSHS and Project WET. Starting in 1992, it was expanded to include a feature article, a Technical Supplement and a Profile Article.

In 1984, the CWRA made its first scholarship awards to recognize outstanding Canadian Students, pursuing studies related to water. The CWRA now offers five scholarships annually.

The Canadian Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (CANCID) became a permanent committee of CWRA in 1987. CANCID promotes development of scientific research and applied technology in irrigation, drainage, flood control, and water management.

In 1992, the Canadian Society for Hydrological Sciences (CSHS) was created as an affiliated society of CWRA. CSHS is dedicated to the advancement of the hydrological sciences.

Water Education for Teachers (Project WET) is sponsored nationally by the CWRA. Project WET is an international, interdisciplinary, water science and education program. The goal is to promote awareness, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom ready teaching aids.

The first chapter of the Students and Young Professionals (SYP) was established in Waterloo in 2001. A group of interested CWRA members continued to work towards a formal affiliate. In February 2004 the CWRA National Board of Directors established a task force to promote the development of CWRA student chapters across the country, resulting in the active SYP that exists today.