The Future of Water and Wastewater in British Columbia:
The case for public-private partnerships
Featuring Elizabeth Brubaker, executive director of Environment Probe
Across British Columbia, boil-water advisories are common and wastewater treatment is frequently substandard. Communities clearly need to invest in infrastructure, technology, and training. These are significant challenges. For example, the costs of addressing British Columbia’s water and wastewater infrastructure gap have been estimated at more than $15 billion. The choices communities and elected officials make on new investment will ultimately impact human health and the environment.
In this presentation, Elizabeth Brubaker will look at the issues facing British Columbia and, in particular, Victoria. Ms. Brubaker will offer a fresh perspective on how communities can achieve greater accountability for and control over health and environmental standards through well-structured agreements with the private sector.
Elizabeth Brubaker is the executive director of Environment Probe, a division of the Energy Probe Research Foundation, a Toronto-based environmental and public policy research institute. Ms. Brubaker is the author of three books as well as a frequent contributor to national news media and to international publications. Ms. Brubaker has worked extensively on the regulation of water and wastewater utilities. She prepared studies on the subject for the Walkerton Inquiry, the Government of Ontario’s Panel on the Role of Government, and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.