PANEL DISCUSSION
EVERYBODY POOPS
WASTEWATER BASED EPIDEMIOLOGY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTION IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
JUNE 14, 2022, 7-9 PM EDT
In this Plenary, we will follow a small panel format, with two Speakers: Bernadette Conant (CEO, Canadian Water Network) and Tim Fletcher (Manager, Water Standards Section, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks). Each speaker will share their experiences about how the science of wastewater surveillance and epidemiology transformed into action and policy in Canada and the Province of Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perspectives on the future of Wastewater epidemiology will also be presented. Finally, we will end with a 20-30 minutes discussion, including questions from the audience, that will be mediated by Dr. Denina Simmons (Assistant Professor, Ontario Tech University).
PANELIST
Bernadette Conant | MSc
Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Water Network
Bernadette is the CEO of Canadian Water Network and works with an exceptional team to help communities move toward the future they want through water. She has been instrumental in bringing people together to collaborate on national initiatives such as the Canadian Municipal Water Consortium and the COVID-19 Wastewater Coalition. Bernadette is on the board of NSERC ResNet and Hydrogeologists without Borders, and recently completed a term as vice-chair of the board of directors for the Global Water Research Coalition. She holds an MSc in hydrogeology from the University of Waterloo.
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PANELIST
Tim Fletcher
Manager, Water Standard Section
Ontario Ministry of Environment,
Conservation, and Parks
Tim is the Manager of Water Standards with the Technical Assessment and Standards Development Branch of Ontario MECP. Tim has worked with MECP for more than 30 years in the area of water quality and standards development and is responsible for leading the development of developing standards, guidelines and guidance material for drinking water, groundwater, stormwater and wastewaters. He is the Ministry technical lead on the Harmful Pollutants and Wastewater and Stormwater Annexes of the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health. Most recently Tim and his team have been providing technical support to the Wastewater Surveillance Initiative, a $24M program that tracks the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 in wastewaters in over 170 locations in the province to help inform public health about the community presence of the virus.