Water Canada’s 2023 Advisory Board

Water Canada is proud to announce its 2023-24 advisory board. We are honoured to have an amazing group of passionate water experts whose depth of knowledge will not only help shape content, and provide direction, they will also take leadership roles as part of the judging committee for this year’s Water Canada Awards!

We thank you for the time, dedication, and support that you’ve shown by offering up your time, ideas, and expertise to help Water Canada further educate and inspire our readers!

Stephen Braun, Principal Water Resources Engineer, Matrix Solutions, and Co-Owner, CB Shield

Stephen has over 30 years of water resources, consulting engineering, and product development experience. He is past president of the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA), is a principal water resources engineer at Matrix Solutions Inc., and is a founding partner of CB Shield Inc., a clean tech firm that develops and manufactures stormwater quality treatment devices.

Stormwater quality design and urban flood mitigation are strong areas of expertise, along with alternative stormwater treatment and low impact development (LID) approaches. Steve is co-inventor of three commercially available and patented stormwater treatment devices (CB Shield®, SWM Shield, Jellyfish Filter). He has provided input to water quality designs for projects in Canada and internationally.

Steve is a sought out public speaker, designer, peer reviewer, expert witness, technical presenter, and is the engineer of record for many large projects. He has led several high profile environmental assessment, land development and creek rehabilitation projects from initial planning stages through to final design, construction, and assumption/monitoring. He has specialized knowledge and experience in the areas of hydrologic modelling, hydraulic modelling, flood line studies, valley corridor and watercourse restoration, urban flood remediation, and municipal servicing and drainage design. Other project management experience includes master drainage planning, 2D flood plain and urban flooding studies, city-wide sewer network analyses, site SWM design, road drainage, and multi-disciplinary environmental implementation studies.

Melissa Dick, Management Consultant, Esri Canada

Melissa has over 10 years of comprehensive experience in program development and management across diverse sectors, including academia, government, non-profit and private sectors. She focuses on leveraging technology solutions to support business needs and optimize processes. Her expertise spans GIS, mapping, CRM software, and data dashboards. With direct experience working at all levels of government and as an advisor to water technology companies, Melissa applies a collaborative approach to working with organizations. Her methodology involves identifying needs, designing and developing new programs, and implementing strategies that streamline operations, expanding user engagement and maximizing resource efficiency. Melissa has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and industry magazines on technological innovation for improved water resource management, monitoring techniques for at-risk salmon populations, and multidisciplinary approaches for developing sustainable solutions.

Gregary Ford, Director, Water Programs, Swim Drink Fish, and Executive Director, Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative

Gregary is the director of Water Programs with Swim Drink Fish and executive director of the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative. Gregary has built his career on bridging connections between people and water. As a board member and advisor of numerous environmental groups, Gregary continually advocates for cross-sector collaboration in the water industry in North America. Operating at the confluence of science, storytelling, and innovative new technology, Gregary works within the industry to better achieve collective impact through the amplification of local action.

Jon Grant, Chief Commercial Officer, SENTRY

Jon has been at the forefront of Smart Water throughout his career. He leads commercial efforts at SENTRY meaning sales, marketing, and growth. In one line, Jon has helped companies generate early success and leverage that into ongoing growth. He translates complex concepts in the water sector to client needs. He led the growth of an AI company in the water sector, winning contracts on multiple continents. Through working with multiple clients Jon developed tailored go-to-market strategies and local, regional, and multinational partnerships. Earlier, Jon oversaw research of the water sector in Ontario and supported Ontario water technology companies to grow through export. He has an undergrad from Cincinnati and graduate degrees from LSE and Dundee (with coursework at IHE-Delft). In his spare time, he is on a number of boards and committees in the water sector as well as coaching a women’s rugby team.

Robert Haller, Executive Director, Canadian Water and Wastewater Association

Robert is the executive director of the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, a role he took on after almost 20 years as a senior municipal administrator – most of those years serving as a CAO for small and medium-sized communities.   Robert leads the CWWA as the national voice for water and wastewater in Ottawa and promotes collaboration between all the water organizations across Canada.  Robert has served on a number of national roundtables representing the utility sector to the federal government.

Linda Li, Engineer, Dillon Consulting

Linda is an Environmental Engineer with Dillon Consulting who specializes in water and wastewater treatment system design and construction. Linda conducted her Master’s research on the sustainable treatment of wastewater in resource challenged regions. Since beginning her career in consulting, she has served both Canadian and International clients. She has been heavily involved in complex and multidisciplinary projects in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, Linda has been supporting the pharmaceutical industry with wastewater management and water reuse. Linda has been a dedicated volunteer with several water associations. She currently serves on the International Water Association’s World Water Congress Programme Committee where she represented Canadian Water and Wastewater Interests in Copenhagen recently. As a Young Professional who is passionate about knowledge sharing, Linda has been a guest lecturer at Ryerson University and a past panelist at University of Toronto on multiple occasions. Outside of work, Linda enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and exploring food and cultures.

Michael Lywood, Principal Water Services Engineer, Wood

Michael is principal water services engineer at Wood. He has over 40 years design, construction, and operations experience in the water and wastewater industry, in both the municipal and private sectors. Michael has directed numerous projects in Canada, the U.S., and the Caribbean and has developed strategic plans for the restructuring and reengineering of water and wastewater utilities. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Queens University and an MBA from McMaster. Michael is currently the president of the Canadian Association on Water Quality and together with the CWWA is looking forward to hosting the International Water Association’s World Water Congress & Exhibition in Toronto in August 2024.

Eric Meliton, Manager of the Sustainability Office, Wilfrid Laurier University

Eric is the Manager of the Sustainability Office at Wilfrid Laurier University. Eric is a thought leader and industry conduit with over 20 years of strategic experience, which includes analyzing cleantech trends, execution of sustainability-themed objectives, and strengthening of stakeholder and governmental relationships. Eric’s role is to provide sustainability leadership in a collaborative, multi-campus environment in Brantford, Kitchener, Milton, and  Waterloo. The Sustainability Office supports the exceptional employees, students, researchers, and educators to maintain Laurier’s reputation as a sustainability leader and a world-class institution known for its rich student experience, academic excellence, and global impact.

Ranin Nseir, M.Eng., P.Eng, Project Manager, Inflow & Infiltration Reduction, York Region

Ranin is a project manager of the Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) Strategy and Analysis at The Regional Municipality of York. She has well-rounded experience in municipal wastewater system improvement, sustainability management, and strategic programming.  Ranin has dedicated her last 10 years at the Region to leading York Region’s long-term I&I Reduction Strategy focusing programs on existing and new system enhancements, system-wide monitoring, I&I analyses and resiliency to climate change while fostering collaborative relationships with external stakeholders. Prior to that, Ranin was a senior specialist for Renewable Energy at ORTECH Consulting Inc. working on wind farm design projects and a research assistant at the Atmospheric Science and Technology division of Environment Canada. Ranin is a professional engineer in Ontario with a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Toronto and an Honors Bachelor Degree in Environmental Engineering from the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology. Ranin loves cooking, baking, and gardening, and enjoys all kind of sport activities.

Terry Rees, Executive Director, Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations

Terry has been the executive director of the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA) since 2004. FOCA is the largest waterfront landowner organization in Canada, representing 50,000 member families in 525 community associations. Terry has BA in Economics from Western University, and a Certificate in Environmental Management from Ryerson University. Terry is a member of many regional and provincial committees focussed on biodiversity, water and water management (Including 15 years as a member of the Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Committee), rural economic development and more. Terry is FOCA’s lead on Ontario’s Lake Partner Program, the largest volunteer water quality monitoring program in Canada, and has volunteered on lake associations and with environmental initiatives for over 30 years. Terry grew up summering on the lake, and together with his wife raised two wild and free outdoors children who now share his love of our lakes.

Emily Stahl is the Manager, Technical Services in the City of Guelph’s Water Utility. In this role she is responsible for the technical team that supports the operational division. This includes management of capital programs, hydrogeology, water supply management and planning and sourcewater protection. As Guelph is reliant on groundwater for their municipal water supply these roles ensure the long term sustainability and protection of the resource. Emily is a Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.) with a Masters in Water Resources Engineering possessing significant government and private consulting based experience in integrated water management, water resource planning, source water protection and associated technical studies and stakeholder engagement processes. Her experience has included working is both the private and public (municipal and conservation authorities) sectors.