Canada has one of the largest supplies of freshwater in the world with up to 20% of the world's surface freshwater. Yet, the state of freshwater data has been difficult for policymakers to access. In a country as vast as Canada, the data challenges are complex and vary by region involving multiple jurisdictions. 

• The Government of Canada has committed $43.5M over five years, starting in 2022-23, to create a new Canada Water Agency.
• The Canada Water Agency has a unique opportunity for Canada to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, local authorities, scientists, and others to strengthen collaboration and find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well-managed.

This presentation will describe our proposed roadmap to build consensus on a Canadian data strategy for freshwater data management including our partners in the federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, Indigenous communities, academia, and industry.  

Speaker: Jim M.C. Young

Jim Young graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Honours Chemistry from the University of Waterloo. His entire career has been with Environment and Climate Change Canada transitioning from weather radar research into operations. He has managed the data management program for real-time operational meteorological data. He has also been the Canadian representative on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) drafting team on the recently adopted WMO Unified Data Policy.  Since August 2023, he has been leading the development of the national freshwater data strategy for the Canada Water Agency. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling in the summer and downhill skiing in the winter.