Past Program

Charging Ahead: Powering Through a Changing World

The urgency of reducing our dependence on fossil fuel continues to escalate. The 2023 conference discussed what it will take to achieve our greenhouse gas reduction aspirations. The theme for 2023, Charging Ahead: Powering Through a Changing World, embraced the changing role of hydropower in our electricity system, what it would take to rapidly electrify our economy, and how we can solve this issue together.

Take a stroll down memory lane and enjoy some highlights from the 2023 Canadian Waterpower Week Conference and Trade Show.

2023 CWW
7:00 am – 7:30 pm
Registration Open

Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet sponsored by Kiewit

Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)
8:30 am – 8:45 am
Conference Opening
Location: Confederation Ballroom

The conversations of this two day conference will surround the many rivers & waterways throughout the entire country, from coast to coast to coast. WaterPower Canada is pleased to invite Elder and Knowledge Keeper, Professor Claudette Commanda, to open the conference, welcome attendees, and share her perspective and insights, and the culture & learnings from First Nations communities.
 
A member of the Kitigan Zibi Algonquin Anishinabeg First Nation, Ms. Commanda has dedicated her career to promoting First Nations people, rights, history and culture in national and international settings. She has been inspired by the work of her grandfather, William Commanda, who passed on his teachings and passion for language and cultural preservation to her.
8:45 am – 9:00 am
Welcome to the 2023 Canadian Waterpower Week
Location: Confederation Ballroom

Canadian Waterpower Week 2023 will commence with introductory remarks from Gilbert Bennett, President of WaterPower Canada who will welcome attendees and introduce the theme for the conference, “Charging Ahead: Powering Through a Changing World”.
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Opening Plenary presented by Kiewit

Industry Leaders in Conversation
Location: Confederation Ballroom

Electricity will be the foundation of Canada’s net-zero economy, and our federal government has set aggressive targets to achieve a net-zero electricity system by 2035. Achieving this goal will take a concerted effort by governments and industry. Join our opening panel as they explore immediate issues and opportunities.

Participants include Ramy Azar, Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer for Power Grids at AtkinsRéalis; Heather Ferguson, Senior Vice President, Business Development & Corporate Affairs at Ontario Power Generation; Jean-Pierre Gauthier, Senior Vice President and District Manager at Kiewit; Terence Hubbard, President of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC); and Romain Pellegrino, President & CEO of GE Hydro North America. David Cochrane, host of CBC’s POWER & POLITICS, Canada’s premier daily political show, will join these industry leaders as the session moderator, engaging the panelists in conversation.
10:30 am – 11:15 am
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)

Trade Show Presentation provided by Wegaw
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 1

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

1A – Addressing Renewable Variability
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

How are operators maintaining reliability when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. Join Rob Collett, VP Engineering & NLSO from Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro and Andre Dagenais & Louis Gibson from Hydro-Québec as they discuss grid reliability and the steps they are taking to integrate variable renewables into their electricity systems.


Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations
1B – Regulatory Planning (Part I)
This session has unfortunately been cancelled
Location: Governor General Ballroom 2

Join us as we take a deeper look at the Clean Electricity Regulations, electrification, their 2035 implications for generation needs and the critical need to streamline regulations to ensure these resources can be developed.


Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

1C – A Project In Action – BC Hydro’s Site C Clean Energy Project
Location: Governor General Ballroom 3
Hear from Chris Waite, Site C Director of Construction Management (BC Hydro) as he shares the latest updates on constructing the new 1,100 MW Generating Station and Earthfill Dam on the Peach River.

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Plenary Luncheon presented by TurbinePROs

Getting the Job Done
Location: Confederation Ballroom
Join as John Loubier, President & CEO of TurbinePROs, shares insight on getting the work done while working together on planned and emergent projects. What has changed and what has worked best to achieve project success for power plants working with contractors and industry partners.

This presentation will be followed by an engaging plenary session discussing the challenges in finding the right people to build projects, and various approaches to addressing this issue. Moderated by Michelle Branigan, President & CEO of Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC); panelists will include Sean Strickland, Executive Director, Canadian Building Trades Union (CBTU); Ashby Ward, General Manager – Hydro Technical at TurbinePROs; Mike Westgate, VP Business Development for Barnard Constructors of Canada, LP; and Chris Waite, Director of Construction Management for Site C (BC Hydro) will share his perspective on an active project.


1:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)
Trade Show Presentation provided by Eaton Industries
Join Kevin Chung, Program Manager, Lifecycle Marketing Services as he discusses operational technology cybersecurity solutions at Eaton Industries.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 2

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

2A – Demands on the Electricity System
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

Join WPC Members in a discussion on the current and future demands on the electricity system. Conversations to include updates on hydrogen and new industrial uses for electricity. Presenters include Geoff Wright, Senior Vice President, Head of Development (Canada) at Brookfield Renewables and Andrew Czornohalan, Director – Energy & Watershed Partnerships, BC Works, Rio Tinto.


Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations

2B – Regulatory Planning (Part II)
Location: Governor General Ballroom 2

Join representatives of WPC’s Fisheries & Regulatory Affairs working group to discuss the Fisheries Act as well as the implications of recent changes to the Migratory Birds Regulations and how we can work to mitigate effects on project delivery and facility operations. This brainstorming session featuring Dan Gibson, Senior Environmental Specialist | Environment | Renewable Generation at Ontario Power Generation; Kate Ladell, Director General, Ecosystems Management, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO); Mark Reed, Regulatory Coordination Officer, Manitoba Hydro; and Dr. Christian Roy, Head of the Migratory Birds Management Program, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), will dive into these important issues and explore ways to ensure we meet societal needs during an unprecedented energy transformation while ensuring overall positive environment outcomes.



Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

2C – Pumped Storage Projects in Development
Location: Governor General Ballroom 3

Join Ivor Shaw, Senior Engineer, Hydro and Dams at Stantec as he provides an overview of opportunities for Pumped Storage in Canada, and hear from Svetlana Helc, Ontario Pumped Storage Project Director at TC Energy; Shane Chegahno, Vice President at Makwa Development; and Steve Fitzgerald, Senior Manager, Business Development and Strategy at Ontario Power Generation as they discuss their respective projects in Ontario.


3:00 pm – 3:15 pm
Coffee and Networking Break
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 3

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

3A – Pumped Storage Hydro
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

Join François Vitez from BBA and Sélim Sayah from Lombardi as they discuss the potential for pumped storage in Canada and considerations associated with this technology.


Stream B: Indigenous Relations

3B – Waterpower and Indigenous Reconciliation
Location: Governor General Ballroom 2

The Canadian Hydropower Industry is committed to pursuing relationships with Indigenous communities based on meaningful and ongoing communication, aimed at creating mutual benefit. Hear from Jordan Adilman, Consultant, Indigenous Relations at SaskPower and Caitlyn Lefebvre, Advisor, Indigenous Relations at OPG about their experience and applicable projects.


Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

3C – Regulatory Planning (Part III)
Location: Governor General Ballroom 3

Where do we go from here? As the final piece of the puzzle, join as we discuss the pathways to solutions. Hear from Wesley Moore, Manager, Quality and Systems Management from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), as he discusses the Impact Assessment Act, the current timelines, and Canada’s approach to regulatory streamlining.

4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)
4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
WaterPower Canada AGM (WPC Members only)
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Canadian Waterpower Week VIP Reception presented by ANDRITZ (by invitation only)
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Canadian Waterpower Week Gala Reception
Location: Canadian Waterpower Week Trade Show | Conference Floor (4th Floor)
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Canadian Waterpower Week Gala Dinner & Awards presented by EnerServ & MV2 Hydro
Location: Confederation Ballroom
Presented by EnerServ and MV2 Hydro, this year’s gala dinner will be an evening of celebration & learning. Together, we will highlight and share the beauties of this country and the powerful waterways it contains. Join Elder Reepa Evic-Carleton as she welcomes our attendees and shares some traditional Inuit culture. Join Joanna Osawe, President & CEO of Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), as she presents the Woman of Hydropower Award, in partnership with Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE). The evening will conclude with a keynote presentation you won’t soon forget. Join Sébastien Sasseville as he brings us to some of the most impressive landscapes on earth with an awe-inspiring experience that will move you to your core and inspire action.

7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet sponsored by Hydro-Québec

Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Morning Plenary presented by Hydro-Québec

Planning for a Net-Zero Future
Location: Confederation Ballroom
The transition to a net-zero economy is a monumental undertaking. It will challenge our ability to plan, design, effectively engage communities and ultimately build large scale energy projects. It will require development at an unprecedented pace for our industry. It will require that we break down barriers that no longer serve us. Join Serge Abergel, Chief Operating Officer, Hydro-Québec Energy Services; Rodrigue Gilbert, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Procurement Practices, Canadian Construction Association; and Dr. Aaron Mair, Adirondack Wilderness Campaign Director, Adirondack Council and former Sierra Club President, as they engage in conversation and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing our industry as we transition to a net-zero economy. This conversation will be moderated by Jacques Bénard, Owner, Jacques Bénard Mediation + Facilitation.

9:30 am – 10:00 am
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)

Trade Show Presentation provided by EnerServ & MV2
Join Bruno Girard and Olivier Coderre as they share a new way to perform Generator Site Rewinds.
10:00 am – 10:45 am
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 4

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

4A – Certifying Hydropower Sustainability and Hydro-Québec Video Launch
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

Join Lynn St-Laurent, Senior Communications Advisor, Hydro-Québec and Christian Turpin, also from Hydro-Québec, as they share specifics surrounding the certification of the Eastmain-1 Development under the Hydropower Sustainability Standard. Join them for a discussion on this new certification, what it means for our industry, and how the process works. At the end of the session, Christian and Lynn will launch Hydro-Québec’s video about Certifying Eastmain-1.


Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations

4B – Snow and Water Digital Twins
Location: Governor General Ballroom 2

Hear from Ion Padilla, Co-founder and CEO of Wegaw, and Matt Elgin, Head of Business Development at Wegaw as they discuss their methods of modelling snow and future water runoff with geospatial data and machine learning.


Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

4C – Lessons Learned from the Keeyask Generating Station
Location: Governor General Ballroom 3

Barnard Construction, Hatch and Manitoba Hydro will come together to discuss lessons learned from the recently completed Keeyask hydroelectric project. This session will be moderated by Mike Westgate, Vice President, Business Development – Canada, Barnard Constructors of Canada, LP; and will feature Tom Tonner, Manager of the System Control Department from Manitoba Hydro; Mike Fuller from Barnard Inc; and Warren Gendzelevich, Project Manager from Hatch.

10:45 am – 11:15 am
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
Location: Conference Floor (4th Floor)

Trade Show Presentation provided by Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC)
Join Mack Long, Project Manager, Greening a Generation at Electricity Human Resources Canada (EHRC) as they share a special presentation, “Engaging the Future Workforce: The Great Canadian Electricity Map“.
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 5

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

5A – Hydropower’s Value to a Net-Zero Electricity Grid & Improving Efficiency. What are the Possibilities?
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

Join Gilbert Bennett, President of WaterPower Canada (WPC) as he reviews WPC’s latest NRCan funded studies. Brady Yauch from Power Advisory LLP will discuss the critical role that Canadian hydropower facilities play in providing essential grid services to maintain a balanced and reliable grid, and Jonathan Atkinson, Director, Business Development & Regional Manager (Ontario) / Hydropower & Dams from Hatch will discuss the potential for increasing capacity at Canadian hydropower facilities and the results of their comparative cost study.



Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations

5B – Climate Change and Impacts / Solutions from Indigenous communities
Location: Governor General Ballroom 2

Many of the utilities in Canada have plans to address climate change and are working with Indigenous communities to implement those plans. Listen to a panel of Indigenous and Industry experts discussing how climate changes is impacting Indigenous communities and the opportunities for partnering to bring about change. Conversations will also include government funding for Indigenous equity in capital projects, particularly renewable energy projects. Presenters include Guy Lonechild, CEO of the First Nation Power Authority; and Christian Matossian from TC Energy.



Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

5C – System Planning and Delivery of Megaprojects
Location: Governor General Ballroom 3

Join James Burpee; Dr. Kathleen Vaillancourt, President of ESMIA Consultants; and Oskar Sigvaldason as they engage in a conversation surrounding the planning and delivery of megaprojects. Canada’s dominant challenge, from now to mid-century, will be to successfully plan and implement the largest and most expensive infrastructure development program in the history of Canada. This is in response to meeting economic growth, and GHG mitigation targets, and includes a major program of end-use electrification. This places special emphasis on the importance of comprehensive, integrated planning, as well as rebuilding the management capacity, to successfully deliver major infrastructure programs. This will include unprecedented expansion of large-scale hydro and pumped storage developments across Canada.



12:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Closing Plenary Luncheon presented by Manitoba Hydro

Powering Through a Changing World
Location: Confederation Ballroom

This session summarizes the discussions from the past two days. Our path to net-zero begins with the first steps. Join our closing panel to explore our immediate take-aways on this journey. Moderated by Francis Bradley, President & CEO of Electricity Canada, panelists will include André Bernier, Director General, Electricity Systems Branch (ESB) at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan); Dave Bowen, Vice-President of Operations from Manitoba Hydro; and Jean Habel, Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada at Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA).



2:00 pm
Conference concluded
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Additional Programming

TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSIONS

ANDRITZ | Generator Rotor Structural impacts & Refurbishments
Location: Provinces 2

Hydro generator rotors pose interesting challenges for design, installation, operation and maintenance.  These rotors are subjected to enormous forces that have practical implications for balancing, rim shrink and general wear and tear.  Join Mike White, Lead Mechanical Engineer (hydrogenerators) for Andritz Hydro Canada Inc. as he explores this further.  Each significant force in the rotor will be introduced and it will be explained how these forces affect balancing, rim-to-spider keying systems, rim shrink, the rotor spider and the poles.  Practical ways of improving balancing will be discussed, it will be explained why rim shrink is needed and what types of machines can benefit from it, signs of loss of rim shrink will be identified and ways of increasing the longevity of shrink will also be discussed.  Common sources of damage to the rotor spider and how this can be repaired will be explained, and the challenge of replacing the type of pole-to-pole connections will be presented.



VOITH Hydropower | The Scale of Digital
Location: Governor General Ballroom 1

Digital as an Enabler – How do we best utilize “digital” to help us in our jobs of producing, monitoring, and communicating our changing production levels to balance our business objectives – whether they be saving money, making money, increasing capacity, seasonal contractual obligations, availability, or running to failure? Where does “digital” deliver demonstrable value at the power unit level, the power station level, the fleet level, and across the industry? We could say “digital twin” and imagine that encompasses everything, but we would betray the facts that it takes a LOT of technology to make and maintain a “digital twin”. Join Brent Ward from VOITH Hydropower as he takes a look at the range of uses of digital technology to see what fits where and when and what benefits digital could bring and the resulting trade-offs.




These trainings are complimentary for all conference registrants.
7:30 am – 8:30 am
Breakfast Buffet sponsored by Hydro-Québec
8:30 am – 9:30 am
Morning Plenary sponsored by Hydro-Québec

While our 2035 net-zero electricity goal was challenging, our ultimate goal is to build a net-zero economy by 2050. This massive undertaking will challenge our ability to plan, design, and build large scale energy projects, and will require development on an unprecedented pace for our industry. Join Claudine Bouchard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating and Infrastructure Officer at Hydro-Québec; Rodrigue Gilbert, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs and Procurement Practices, Canadian Construction Association; and other industry leaders as they engage in conversation.
9:30 am – 10:00 am
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
10:00 am – 10:45 am
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 4

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

4A – Certifying Sustainable Hydropower

Join Lynn St-Laurent and Christian Turpin from Hydro-Québec as they share specifics surrounding the certification of the Eastmain-1 Development under the International Hydropower Association’s Hydropower Sustainability Standard. Join them for a discussion with those involved in these projects, along with sustainability experts.

Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations

4B – Snow and Water Digital Twins

Hear from Ion Padilla, Co-founder and CEO of Wegaw, and Matt Elgin, Head of Business Development at Wegaw as they discuss their methods of modelling snow and future water runoff with geospatial data and machine learning.

Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

4C – Lessons Learned from the Keeyask Generating Station

Barnard Construction, Hatch and Manitoba Hydro will come together to discuss lessons learned from the recently completed Keeyask hydroelectric project. This session will be moderated by Mike Westgate, Vice President, Business Development – Canada, Barnard Inc; and will feature Tom Tonner from Manitoba Hydro; Mike Fuller from Barnard Inc; and Warren Gendzelvich from Hatch.

10:45 am – 11:15 am
Networking Break & Visit the Trade Show
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSION 5

Stream A: Planning and Reliability

5A – Hydropower’s Value to a Net-Zero Electricity Grid & Improving Efficiency. What are the Possibilities?

Review of WaterPower Canada’s latest NRCan funded studies. Brady Yauch from Power Advisory LLP will discuss the critical role that Canadian hydropower facilities play in providing essential grid services to maintain a balanced and reliable grid, and Martin Dodge from Hatch will discuss the potential for increasing capacity at Canadian hydropower facilities and the results of their comparative cost study.

Stream B: Environmental and Indigenous Relations

5B – Climate Change and Impacts / Solutions from Indigenous communities

Many of the utilities in Canada have plans to address climate change and are working with Indigenous communities to implement those plans. Listen to a panel of Indigenous and Industry experts discussing how climate changes is impacting Indigenous communities and the opportunities for partnering to bring about change. Conversations will also include government funding for Indigenous equity in capital projects, particularly renewable energy projects. Presenters include Muhamud Hassan, Chief of Staff, United Nations Association in Canada; Guy Lonechild, CEO of the First Nation Power Authority; and Christian Matossian from TC Energy.

Stream C: Operations, Construction and Projects

5C – System Planning and Delivery of Megaprojects

Join James Burpee; Dr. Kathleen Vaillancourt, President of ESMIA Consultants; and Oskar Sigvaldason as they engage in a conversation surrounding the planning and delivery of megaprojects. Canada’s dominant challenge, from now to mid-century, will be to successfully plan and implement the largest and most expensive infrastructure development program in the history of Canada. This is in response to meeting economic growth, and GHG mitigation targets, and includes a major program of end-use electrification. This places special emphasis on the importance of comprehensive, integrated planning, as well as rebuilding the management capacity, to successfully deliver major infrastructure programs. This will include unprecedented expansion of large-scale hydro and pumped storage developments across Canada.


12:00 pm – 1:45 pm
Closing Plenary Luncheon presented by Manitoba Hydro

Powering Through a Changing World

This session summarizes the discussions from the past two days. Our path to net-zero begins with the first steps. Join our closing panel to explore our immediate take-aways on this journey. Moderated by Francis Bradley, President & CEO of Electricity Canada, panelists will include André Bernier, Director General, Electricity Systems Branch (ESB) at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan); Dave Bowen, Vice-President of Operations from Manitoba Hydro; and Jean Habel, Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada at Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA).

2:00 pm
Conference concluded
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Additional Programming

TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSIONS

ANDRITZ | Generator Rotor Structural impacts & Refurbishments

VOITH Hydropower | The Scale of Digital
Digital as an Enabler – How do we best utilize “digital” to help us in our jobs of producing, monitoring, and communicating our changing production levels to balance our business objectives – whether they be saving money, making money, increasing capacity, seasonal contractual obligations, availability, or running to failure? Where does “digital” deliver demonstrable value at the power unit level, the power station level, the fleet level, and across the industry? We could say “digital twin” and imagine that encompasses everything, but we would betray the facts that it takes a LOT of technology to make and maintain a “digital twin”. Join Brent Ward from VOITH Hydropower as he takes a look at the range of uses of digital technology to see what fits where and when and what benefits digital could bring and the resulting trade-offs.


These trainings are complimentary for all conference registrants, but please confirm your attendance by emailing [email protected].

Please note all times are presented in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), and all sessions are presented in English.
The program is subject to change at WaterPower Canada’s discretion.