Serious Challenges on the horizon for Wastewater and Municipalities

Municipal Water & Waste Management Labour Market Study: Planning for Today, Preparing for Tomorrow A recent report, released by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, estimates that Canadian municipality water, wastewater, and solid waste facilities are facing a deficit of almost $40 billion dollars when it comes to current infrastructure. Fortunately in response to this issue, Infrastructure Canada created the Building Canada Fund to assist in facility upgrading and replacing.   A critical element to moving forward is having an understanding of the operational labour demands of municipal water, wastewater, and solid waste facilities.   According to the newly released Municipal Water & Waste Management Labour Market Study (ECO Canada, 2010), water/wastewater and solid waste management facilities are facing similar challenges: An aging workforce, Shallow candidate pools for some critical positions, and A history of turnover. Focus needs to be placed on resolving these labour issues for today and tomorrow. Strategies suggested by the study include: Establishing nationally recognized credentials to increase mobility of qualified practitioners between provinces, Identifying and training for critical skill sets not addressed through operator certifications (i.e. computer and soft skills), and Enhanced "branding" of industry occupations to increase awareness and interest in these vital careers.   Municipal water/wastewater and solid waste management facilities are critical to human health and the environment; likewise is the upkeep of these facilities and those who make them operational.   For further details, including statistics, methods of data gathering, and further conclusions/strategies download the report or view the project's web page atwww.eco.ca/mwwm.