Thought-provoking lectures, panels, debates and symposia about the most critical environmental topics of our time
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Water: The Forum, a provocative series of lectures, panels, debates and free full-day symposia addressing timely and controversial issues around water. Opening March 5, 2011, Water: The Exhibition is a celebration of the power and wonder of this life-giving substance and a call to each of us to become stewards of our blue planet. Providing an engaging public medium to address the many environmental, scientific and cultural topics introduced in Water: The Exhibition, Water: The Forum opens the floodgates on some of the most relevant issues of today. For more information or to purchase tickets for any of the Water: The Forum events, click here, e-mail programs@rom.on.ca or call 416.586.5797.
LECTURES, PANEL AND DEBATES
Water Exports: Imminent Threat or Convenient Distraction?
February 15, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $18; ROM Members: $16
The question of whether Canada should export water is a contentious one, but are there other, more pressing water issues? Adele Hurley, Director of the Program on Water Issues at The Munk School of Global Affairs moderates a panel of experts in a discussion of these vital questions.
Panelists include Marcel Boyer, Senior Economist, Montreal Economic Institute, Owen Saunders, Professor of Law, University of Calgary and Ralph Pentland, Acting Chairman of the Canadian Water Issues Council.
The Blue Legacy
February 22, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $29; ROM Members: $26
Alexandra Cousteau, National Geographic Young Explorer and granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, continues her family’s mission to increase understanding and awareness of the importance of water in all its forms. Speaking with passion and first-hand knowledge, and accompanied by stunning footage from her own expeditions, she will outline the global interconnectivity of water issues and the critical importance of local action.
Meet the Speaker: Alexandra Cousteau, presented by the Young Patrons' Circle (YPC) at the ROM, is an intimate cocktail reception with Alexandra Cousteau from 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm, prior to her presentation of The Blue Legacy. Tickets are limited and include the Meet the Speaker reception and lecture with a general reserved seat to The Blue Legacy. Cost is $44 for the public, $41 for ROM Members.
The Blue Covenant
March 3, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $18; ROM Members: $16
A billion people worldwide have no access to clean drinking water. Among the items under discussion in this panel is the proposed Article 31, which stipulates that “access to clean and potable water” be acknowledged as a fundamental human right by the United Nations.
Panelists include Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, the Council of Canadians, Bruce Pardy, professor of Environmental Law, Queen’s University and Dr. Zafar Adeel, Director, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.
Keeping Your Water Safe
March 23, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Come and meet the man who ensures that your drinking-water systems meet some of the most stringent quality standards in the World. Post-Walkerton, Ontario has made important changes in its approach to regulating drinking water and has established itself as a world leader in this area. Chief Drinking Water Inspector John Stager discusses the transformation of drinking water protection and the quality of drinking water in Ontario.
John Stager is Ontario’s Chief Drinking Water Inspector and Assistant Deputy Minister leading the Ministry of the Environment’s Drinking Water Management Division.
Downstream: The Oil Sands and the Athabasca River
April 13, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Learn of the controversy over the role of pollution from the oil sands industry in causing cancer deaths in Fort Chipewyan on the Athabasca River in Alberta, what action has been taken, and the issues that must be addressed by future monitoring in order to develop the oil sands without jeopardizing the river or people downstream
D.W. Schindler OC, AOE, FRSC, FRS has received national and international awards for his research and contributions to management policy and conservation, including the first Stockholm Water Prize, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the Gerhard Herxberg Gold Medal for Science.
Water and Development: The Social Impact
May 11, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Join Dr. Tounkara Mahamadou as he outlines the social implications of access to drinkable water in developing countries. Providing on-the-ground examples, he will outline the challenges around access to water, in particular for women and girls, the social changes related to access to potable water, the impact of access to water on other social services (Education, Health, IGA) and also the social costs of lack of access to water and sanitation.
Tounkara Mahanmadou is Director of Business Development for Plan Canada and has over 19 years working experience in training and research institutions, development organizations and in inter-disciplinary teams in 37 countries.
Water and You: From the Globe to Your Tap
May 18, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Humans are now changing the water cycle at a global scale, but why should you care and what can you do? In this presentation, water policy expert Dr. Rob de Loë examines the critical role of water in our lives and explores our relationship with water. He will highlight the challenges and opportunities inherent in this global issue, and give you a toolkit of things you can do to change your relationship with water.
Rob de Loë holds the University Research Chair in Water Policy and Governance at the University of Waterloo, and is Director of the multi-university Water Policy Group.
Keeping Rivers Alive: Securing Water for Nature and People
June 8, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Rivers help fill our cups, power our homes, and grow the food we eat. This lecture will focus on a fundamental question for water management in the 21st century: How much water does a river need to remain healthy and productive? The talk will discuss the scientific, policy and political challenges of protecting and restoring nature’s water needs while also securing the water required to feed, clothe and provide energy for another three billion people on this planet into the future.
Tony Maas is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Canada’s Freshwater Program Director. His work takes him across Canada and around the world to engage business leaders, policy makers, politicians and citizens in freshwater stewardship and conservation.
Beyond Sharkwater
June 15, 2011 at 7 pm
Public: $15; ROM Members: $12
Rob Stewart's 2007 film Sharkwater earned the most awards that year, snagging 35 wins at international film festivals, including a Canada's Top Ten Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Rob will talk about his efforts in highlighting the plight of sharks worldwide and how his new film project Rise Again moves beyond sharks to outline the looming crisis in the world's oceans. Visit click here to learn more.
Rob Stewart is an award-winning wildlife photographer, filmmaker and passionate speaker who travels the globe to share his message of conservation.
FULL-DAY WATER SYMPOSIA
Between March and June 2011, four free full-day Water Symposia invite leading scientists, academics and industry specialists to present forums on a variety of topics designed to encourage participation and the exchange of ideas. All symposia run from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm and take place in Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre. Enter via the President's Choice School Entrance. Free symposia do not include Museum admission.
World Water Day—Student Forum
March 22, 2011
Secondary school students are invited to participate in a student forum on one of the most important issues facing nearly a billion people—access to safe, clean water. Students can share their own ideas and hear from Canadian organizations doing ground-breaking work on water.
Waterlife Conference
April 21, 2011
Blue is Green
May 31, 2011
Ontario is positioning itself to become a world leader in water sustainability and innovation. Industry leaders and public policy makers share their progress and vision in the areas of power generation, area cooling, watershed and environmental management, water treatment, recycling, desalination, agriculture, and more.
Sacred Waters
June 16, 2011
Water plays a central role in the beliefs and rituals of virtually every religion, from the Christian rite of Baptism and the Jewish Mikvah to the Islamic Wudu. Join a distinguished selection of anthropologists, archaeologists, and spiritual leaders as they explain and explore the places, sources, and practices related to water in their sacred traditions.