News Letter
July 2006

The Canadian Ground Water Board of Directors has entrusted the Canadian office and affairs with Val Rogers and me since August of 2002. During the past three and a half years we have reviewed many issues and made progress in many areas, especially Canadian Certification for our members. Since our full Board meeting in Kelowna BC at Can’Well 2004, we have held a full Board meeting at Sandford Fleming College in Ontario in April, 2005 and an Executive meeting in Charlottetown, PE and Moncton, NB in November, 2005. We were able to hold Committee meetings on First Nations training, Certification and fund raising.

The Canadian office, under the capable management of Mrs. Rogers, continues to be extremely busy with correspondence, emails, phone and fax inquiries, industry and government meetings and worldwide inquiries for groundwater information and technology. Also, we must not forget our ten busy non-paid Directors handling complaints, inquiries, etc. from their individual Provinces.

2004 – 2005 Statistics

We continue to work with AIS Communications in the publishing of Ground Water Canada. Mr. Chris Skalkos is the Editor. We work with Chris to publish our quarterly newsletter in the Canadian magazine and as well, we encourage all Provinces to provide updates.

We prepare and send Directors updates on a monthly basis or more often if an issue is considered urgent.

We provide budget and financial details to Directors on a quarterly basis. We depend on Directors to provide information to Provincial stakeholders.

We have held meetings with the Editors of the World Wide Drilling Resource to provide some Canadian content in future.

Can’Well 2004

Held in Kelowna, British Columbia. This Can’Well was among the best ever held since our earliest beginnings. Joan Perry and the Chairs of this gathering, including Jim Fyfe and Bruce Ingimundson, did a fantastic job and made thousands in profits which were shared by the CGWA, the Provincial Association in BC and the Provinces who had delegates attend. The BC example will be hard to duplicate; however, the PEI and Atlantic group are working very hard toward 2006 and the 2008 group from Alberta are already working toward their next Can’Well.

Membership Benefits/Initiatives 2004 – 2005

We continue to work with all Provinces and their regulators to improve water well management issues across Canada.

The Association continues to work with Lackner McLennan to provide a comprehensive program of liability insurance for all our members and their equipment.

We continue to work with every Province in Canada to offer industry training and Certification.

We have met with Federal officials on many occasions in the hopes of a Federal and Association Public Private Partnership to provide groundwater training to industry and the public alike.

We have improved our agreement with Petro-Canada to allow for an additional 20% rebate to members, from 2 cents per litre to 2.4 cents. The Canadian also receives .5 cents per litre to fund Canadian research and development.

We continue to expand our new web site to benefit more members and to raise funds for Canadian programs.

We continue to distribute our Fact Sheets all over the world, including our latest one on Breathing Wells which was published with the help and co-operation of the Maurice Lewis Foundation.

We have researched a Health and Wellness Plan for our members over the past year and hope to finalize a plan at our Charlottetown meeting.

We are working on a suggested retail price for drilling and pump installation in every Province in Canada.

We continue to work with the National Ground Water Association and have a mutual co-operation agreement in place which is to the benefit of both Associations.

We were able to meet with a delegation from the New Zealand and Nigerian Ground Water Associations in 2005 and will continue to foster good will for the future. Both groups have been invited to future Can’Wells and the Canadian members have been invited to New Zealand and Nigeria.

We have had meetings with Michelin Tire in the hope of a discount for our members, as well as a rebate to our Association.

We continue to work with the NGWA toward preferred convention rates for our Canadian members.

We have met with the Bottled Water Association of Canada to review our mutual interests.

We have continued to review candidates for the Canadian Ground Water Stewardship Award. This Award is presented to an individual for outstanding contributions to Canada’s groundwater resources through development dedication, science or other accepted disciplines.

We are reviewing geothermal legislation and provincial practice across Canada so that we may provide a factual and detailed package to industry.

We are working with the Newfoundland and Labrador Ground Water Association to improve their groundwater legislation and their relationship with their Provincial Government.

We are reviewing similar industries, i.e., Environmental Drillers, with the thought of their joining our Association to make us stronger and financially fit. The environmental group in BC has already joined the BC Ground Water Association.

Financial

The Board, with the help of the Executive Director, must explore all avenues of revenue for this Association. To be recognized as a National Association we must attend many more gatherings on groundwater and take our rightful place at any national and international meetings which concern Canada’s groundwater.

We must not depend on dues and Can’Wells to fund our National programs. We must re-focus our efforts toward Federal Provincial partnerships to become the National lobby group for Canada’s groundwater that we are intended to be.

Conclusion

We now have all ten Provinces on board and paddling in the same direction. We must now set our priorities and work towards them with all the fortitude we can muster.

We are presently operating with a smaller budget than three of our Provincial members. This issue must be addressed to bring us into the Water Age. Some say the next world war may be fought over water.

In closing, let me say thank you to all our members, our Directors and our Stakeholders for your kindness and co-operation over the past two years. I welcome your input and I value your friendship. Let’s work together to make your Association the most recognized groundwater group in the world.