Ready, Set, Network!

Downstream brings current and future water professionals together to connect, bridge the skills gap, and drive clean water solutions for Canadians.
Upcoming Events
Event in April
Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant, Toronto
9 Leslie St, Toronto, ON M4M 3M9
April 8, 2025
2:30 PM - 5:30 PM (EST)
Special opportunity to tour Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of Canada’s largest and oldest facilities, located in Toronto’s east end.
Event in April
Event Location
Ashbridges Bay, Toronto
April 8, 2025
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How does Downstream work?
Early career professionals and students are invited by program directors and industry organizations in partnership with Water Canada magazine to attend a 2-3 hour event that provides the opportunity to learn from and network with experts representing different streams of Canada’s water sector. The event features micro-sessions: roundtable discussions led by experienced water professionals, where students participate in focused conversations addressing three key questions related to the table’s specific topic:
- What are the trends in this stream?
- What are the challenges?
- What are the opportunities for early career professionals?
Students cycle from table to table, engaging with experts from various sectors, asking questions about career opportunities, and building connections to help launch their careers.
How do students benefit from Downstream?
- Students come away with key contacts and information that provides direction and opportunities for career growth
- A better understanding of potential career paths that are available to them
- Opportunity to connect with other early career professionals
How do industry professionals benefit from Downstream?
- Industry professionals (AKA “experts”) get early access to emerging talent, helping to identify and recruit top candidates.
- Serving as mentors enhances experts’ own leadership and communication skills while reinforcing commitment to supporting the industry’s growth.
- Supporting and engaging with students aligns with organizational goals related to social responsibility, addressing the “S” in ESG by investing in community and workforce development.






Partners
Thank You to our Downstream Partners!
Partner with Downstream to help close the skills gap!
Sponsoring Downstream is more than just an investment—it’s an opportunity to drive real change in Canada’s water sector. As a sponsor, you’ll take action to help close the skills gap while positioning your organization as a changemaker across Water Canada’s print, digital, and experiential platforms.
- Gain early access to Canada’s top emerging talent and insights into attracting and retaining early career professionals.
- Join a vibrant community of post-secondary institutions, private sector businesses, industry associations, and government initiatives, all working together to shape the future of water.
- Plus, it’s a meaningful ESG investment, allowing you to demonstrate your social commitment to the Canadian water industry while addressing the “S” in your ESG responsibilities.
For more information on sponsoring Downstream, contact Vanessa Watson at [email protected]
Experts Directory
Downstream events thrive thanks to our expert volunteers. These experienced water industry professionals share valuable insights into diverse roles across the sector, from drinking water and wastewater to stormwater, conservation, and beyond. Representing municipalities, Indigenous communities, clean tech, academia, consulting, and more, they help participants identify opportunities, offer tailored advice, and inspire meaningful connections.
Meet the experts by browsing our Experts Directory.

Bruce Taylor
President,
Enviro-Stewards Inc.
Bruce Taylor is the founder and President of Enviro-Stewards Inc., which is a social venture that has been selected by B lab as one of the Best Companies for the World and by the UN Global Compact Network Canada for their Sustainable Development Goal award. Enviro-Stewards’ projects for Tim Hortons, Andrew Peller, Southbrook Winery, Dextran, Maple Leaf Foods, Maple Lodge, Campbell Company of Canada and a food loss project at 50 Food Processors have each won Clean50 national sustainability awards.
Mr. Taylor graduated from U of W in chemical engineering, is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and was selected as the top sustainability consultant in Canada (Clean 16) for 2022. He has 31 years of experience in the fields of water and energy conservation, pollution prevention, sustainable development and treatment process design. He has won the highest awards in the Pollution Prevention field in both Canada and the United States.
In 2004, Enviro-Stewards founded the Safe Water Social Venture Project to empower communities in South Sudan and Uganda to construct water purification systems using locally available materials. The locally owned and operated projects are taught business principles and sales techniques to help local residents understand that investing in safe water is typically 10 times less expensive than their current expenditures on water related illnesses.

Allyson Bingeman
Water Resources Engineer,
GHD
Allyson Bingeman is a water resources engineer with over 13 years of experience in hydrologic modelling of surface water systems (rivers and stormwater systems), and hydraulic modelling of rivers, stormwater systems, and wastewater collection systems, including floodplain mapping. Her experience includes both one-dimensional and two-dimensional hydraulic modelling. She is proficient at numerical model development including model setup, model parameterization, model calibration and validation, and model analysis.
She also has experience in climate change analysis. Allyson has developed existing Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves from historical data and also reviewed Global Climate Model (GCM) output to derive future climate change IDF curves for multiple clients in Canada. She has also derived future climate time series data for multiple climatic variables including air temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, evaporation, and snowfall. These data have been used in various applications including hydrologic and hydraulic models for rivers, stormwater, and wastewater systems. She also has expertise in rainfall and streamflow QA/QC, single station and regional frequency analysis, and stationary and non-stationary frequency analysis.
Allyson is the author and co-author of several scientific publications. Allyson has served as hydraulic modelling lead for multiple stormwater and wastewater projects. Out of the office, you will often find Allyson spending time with her family and reading good books!

William Fernendes
Director of Water Treatment and Supply,
City of Toronto
William is the Director of Water Treatment and Supply with the City of Toronto. He is responsible for the 4 water treatment plants, many reservoirs, pumping stations, elevated tanks, and all the water supply mains between them.
He has over 40 years of experience in Operations and Capital in both water and wastewater treatment.

Ryan Sorichetti
Great Lakes Ecologist,
Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
Dr. Ryan Sorichetti is a Great Lakes Ecologist and Research Scientist for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. His work is focused on Great Lakes nearshore water quality and leads special focus projects and scientific reporting on shoreline areas undergoing changes, or with impairments, in water quality. Ryan completed his PhD at Western University in aquatic sciences with a focus on trace metals (iron) limitation on cyanobacterial growth in lakes and has continued research interest in biogeochemical nutrient cycling, algal physiology and taxonomy, lake physical processes and climate change science.

Gregary Ford
Lake Ontario Waterkeeper/ Vice President,
Swim Drink Fish
Winner of the 2022 Water Canada Awards’ Emerging Leader Award
Greg Ford is the director of water programs at Swim Drink Fish Canada and the executive director at Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative. Taking initiative in may environmental issues not limited to water, Greg is a young and strong headed person who likes to help in any way they can. Has won many awards for his part in Swim Drink Fish and Niagara Coastal Collaborative.
Cleaning the fresh water all over Canada, the app and the initiative have been applied all over Canada and the use of an app to engage young people in the conservation of our great lakes and all fresh water is a great way to engage the community.
Interested in becoming an expert? Contact Corinne Lynds at [email protected]
Get Involved
Getting involved with Downstream is a truly rewarding experience. By paying it forward to the next generation, you’ll help shape the future of Canada’s water sector. Whether you’re recruiting the brightest minds or simply sharing your journey, spending time with these future leaders is both energizing and impactful. Experts and students alike leave inspired and motivated, discovering new opportunities to collaborate and drive meaningful change.
There are four ways you can get involved with Downstream:
- Register as a student or early career professional and attend an Upcoming Event (link).
- Volunteer as an industry expert.
- Host a Downstream event on your campus or at an industry conference.
- Partner with us as a sponsor to drive change in Canada’s water sector by closing the skills gap, accessing top emerging talent, and positioning your organization as a leader committed to shaping the future of water.
Past Events
Contact Us
Volunteer as an expert: [email protected]
Sponsor Downstream: [email protected]
Host an event: [email protected]