Provincial Government Celebrates World Water day

The Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan are celebrating World Water Day. In 1992, the UN General Assembly designated March 22 of each year as World Water Day. As part of government's commitment to water security, last spring the Government of Saskatchewan committed $10 million over seven years to the University of Saskatchewan for the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Water Security. "Saskatchewan families need a clean and safe water supply and we know the importance of continuing to take care of water in our province," Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris said. "Along with raising water awareness globally, World Water Day celebrates the research done by Dr. Wheater and his colleagues in the science of water security right here in Saskatchewan." The CERC Chairs are intended to recruit the world's top researchers and scholars to develop ambitious research programs. The U of S CERC, Dr. Howard Wheater, is one of the world's foremost hydrologists. He is responsible for establishing a world-leading research and training institute to solve water challenges and train the next generation of water scientists. "Our new U of S Global Institute for Water Security aims to be a world leader in providing the new science and policy research to address rising world concerns for water security," Dr. Wheater said. "We look forward to working with the Saskatchewan government and other prairie provinces to help tackle some of the important strategic challenges we face with changing climate, increasing competition for water and the need to manage increasing levels of pollution." A total of 85 new positions will be created at the institute, including six faculty, 20 post-doctoral fellows, 24 PhDs, 24 master's students and 10 support staff. These researchers will have access to two of Canada's top science projects - the Canadian Light Source and the International Vaccine Centre - and will work closely with three new graduate schools in public health, public policy and environment and sustainability. The U of S is celebrating World Water Day with a week-long series of seminars, lunchtime lectures and a Canadian premiere concert performance of water-themed music. For more information about the U of S water research group, visit www.usask.ca/water. For more information, contact: Marieka Barrie Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Regina Phone: 306-798-3170