Message from outgoing OMWA president, Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan

The past 21 years, participating on the Ontario Municipal Water Association have been an immense honour and perhaps one of the most consequential chapters of my career life.

From the deregulation of Ontario Hydro, the dissemination of most municipal Public Utility Commissions across Ontario, municipal amalgamations, the Walkerton tragedy and its subsequent inquiry, the inception of the Clean Water Act, Drinking Water Source Protection, six municipal and provincial elections, and seven federal elections, I have seen one constant that keeps rising to the forefront: partnerships. Collaboration and working together towards common goals provide focused, high-quality outcomes.

The OMWA has worked in partnership with many water-related associations and groups, including the Ontario Water Works Association, Ontario Water Equipment Association, Water Environmental Association Ontario, Association of Municipalities of Ontario, The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association, and WaterTap, to name a few. Such collaborative efforts have made us all more aware and successful in addressing the “One Water” concept.

The OMWA embraces and endorses the belief that, “All water and water issues are related.” We believe that working together with our partners we will all excel and succeed for the betterment of the entire province.

It is with confidence that I am handing the torch to our incoming President, Mike Mortimer. Mike has served two years on the OMWA board as a director. He brings to the table both a high involvement and passion for water and the environment in our province.

Mike is a dedicated, astute leader and I know the OMWA will excel under his direction. The OMWA Board of Directors has immense dedication and understanding for our water and municipal issues. We are fortunate to have Mike as the new incoming President

Congratulations to Mike and the OMWA 2019 Board of Directors,

Best Regards in water,
Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan
Deputy Mayor, Trent Hills

December 11, 2019August 7, 2020

OMWA elects new president, executive, at AGM

Mike Mortimer, OMWA president At its AGM in Toronto last week, the Ontario Municipal Water Association elected Mike Mortimer, Manager of Environmental Services for the City of Stratford, as its new president.

“I am excited to be able to take on the role as President of the OMWA and am committed to leading the organization and carrying on the dedicated efforts of past presidents,” Mortimer said. “As the water and wastewater industry landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative that the OMWA continuously reflects on our mission statement, our mandates and why we do what we do. Our main purpose has always been to advocate on behalf of our municipal members, to work with the province’s MECP on the policies, procedures, and governance issues that directly impact our members municipalities and our First Nations.“

Mortimer added, “I am committed, through increased engagement from our members combined with continued collaborative efforts with other stakeholders, to lead the OMWA into the next decade and to continue to fulfil this purpose.”

Also elected to the board executive were Mark Howson, of Sault Ste. Marie Public Utilities, as first vice-president, and Peter Chilibeck, of Lakefront Utility Services Inc., returns as board chair. OMWA will be recruiting new board members to replace those retiring, in early 2020.

Outgoing president, Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan, congratulated the new board of directors and their choice, saying, “Mike is a dedicated, astute leader and I know the OMWA will excel under his direction. The OMWA Board of Directors has immense dedication and understanding for our water and municipal issues. We are fortunate to have Mike as the new incoming President.”

At the meeting, the board also engaged in a strategic planning workshop, facilitated by former municipal councillor and marketing director, Kevin Lloyd. The board is preparing an updated strategic plan for 2020, which will be posted on the OMWA website early next year.

For a PDF version of this announcement, with Mike Mortimer’s CV, click here.

August 21, 2018

OMWA welcomes new board members

Following its AGM in Barrie this month, the Ontario Municipal Water Association announced two new members have joined its board of directors: Bonnie Clark and Michael Mortimer.

“We are honoured and pleased to welcome our new members,” said OMWA president, Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan. “We always appreciate getting fresh perspectives and new ideas about municipal water systems. Everyone in the association benefits from the collective experience and high calibre of expertise the board brings.”

Bonnie Clark joins as a Political Director. She is a council member for the Otonabee South Monaghan municipality and a retired nurse (R.N.). She also sits on the Trent Conservation Coalition Source Protection Committee.

“Municipal experience would be a great starting point and give you a solid knowledge base to choose the direction and path you would like to go down,” she told the OMWA. “The need for safe water will always be there.”

Bonnie would like to see the organization grow its representation from our First Nations Communities. She says she appreciates the opportunity to network with peers, share challenges and ensure our communities’ water is safe.

Michael Mortimer joins as a Technical Director. He is currently Manager of Environmental Services for the City of Stratford.

Michael began his career as a water and wastewater treatment operator with the District of Muskoka in 2002 before taking roles at the Region of Waterloo and City of Waterloo. He became Manager of Environmental Services at the City of Stratford in May of 2015.

Michael is currently on the Walkerton Clean Water Center Training Advisory Committee and is the municipal representative for Stratford, St Mary’s, Perth and Huron Counties on the Thames Sydenham and Region Source Protection Committee.

In a statement to the board, he said, “I am very excited to be joining the OMWA in a Director role where I hope to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to the ever-adapting policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks of water and wastewater.”

The Ontario Municipal Water Association’s mission is to act as the voice of Ontario’s public water supply authorities and their customers on policy, legislative and regulatory issues related to the provision of safe and reliable public water supply in Ontario. We are a unique organization in that our focus is upon the management and administration of public drinking water, stormwater and wastewater. Our membership is made up of public water supply authorities. Our directors are either municipal officials or senior water supply managers.

August 13, 2018

President’s message, summer 2018

It sometimes seems that every week a challenge to our drinking water emerges. How can you stay informed about the threats and solutions? Easily – if you’re an OMWA member. We keep members informed about water-related issues and events through our twice-weekly newswire, through our website, and in our upcoming Education Days.

Challenges can come from unexpected sources. Like our clothes and household cleansers. We’ve reported many stories about microplastics and nanoplastics – microscopic bits of non-degradable plastic that scientists now realize pervade our environment.

They’re a new and difficult challenge for water professionals.

Plastic is so ubiquitous that it finds its way into everything around us, even our drinking water. One study found plastic in 85 per cent of tap water samples taken from a dozen countries (in the USA researchers found plastic in 94 per cent of their samples).

Continue reading “President’s message, summer 2018”

May 26, 2017February 22, 2018

OMWA board of directors and executive committee, 2017

OMWA’s new board of directors

The Board of Directors of the Ontario Municipal Water Association (OMWA) are pleased to announce that at their Annual General Meeting held May 9, 2017 in Niagara Falls, the following slate of Directors was approved.

Political Directors

Rosemary K MacLennan Municipality of Trent Hills
Mark Howson Sault Ste. Marie PUC
Peter Chilibeck Lakefront Utility Services Inc. (Cobourg)
Lynn Dollin Town of Innisfil
Doug Lawrance Town of Sioux Lookout
Andy Bruziewicz City of Sarnia
Patrick Merlihan Township of Woolwich

Management Directors

Andrew Henry Lake Huron and Elgin Area Water
Nick Benkovich City of Greater Sudbury (retired, 2018)
Jim Keech Utilities Kingston
Amy Martin City of Guelph
John Thompson City of Barrie
Susan MacFarlane Lambton Area Water Supply System

Also at the Annual General Meeting, Andrew Henry, who has been the OMWA President for the past three years, announced that he would be stepping down and will become our Past President.

Following the 2017 AGM the OMWA Board held a Meeting of the Directors and the following changes to board’s executive were made:

President Andrew Henry (Manager, Lake Huron & Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems, London) stepped down after serving three years, and is now Past President;
Vice President Rosemary Kelleher-MacLennan (Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Trent Hills) was elected President;
Vice President Peter Chilibeck (Chair, Lakefront Utilities, Cobourg) is now Chairman of the Board;
Board members John Thompson (manager of Water, Wastewater and Environmental Operations, City of Barrie) and Doug Lawrance (Mayor, Municipality of Sioux Lookout) were elected Vice-Presidents.

Continue reading “OMWA board of directors and executive committee, 2017”