Canadian Waterpower Week 2025 Showcases Clean Energy Leadership and Innovation

Conference highlights $17M in Indigenous project funding, industry awards and solutions for Canada's growing electricity needs

Ottawa, Ontario, Oct. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Following the successful conclusion of Canadian Waterpower Week 2025 in Ottawa, WaterPower Canada is highlighting key outcomes and moments from this year’s conference, which brought together more than 300 industry leaders, policy-makers, Indigenous partners and innovators under the theme Powering Canada, Empowering the Future.

Over three days, Oct. 1 to 3, delegates examined Canada’s path to a clean, reliable and affordable energy future, with plenary sessions and panels tackling issues ranging from regulatory reform and cross-border trade to the role of artificial intelligence in shaping electricity demand.

“This year’s conference underscored both the opportunities and the urgency facing Canada’s hydropower sector,” said Lorena Patterson, President and CEO of WaterPower Canada. “From energy security to economic development, reconciliation and climate action, it is clear that waterpower is essential to meeting Canada’s clean energy ambitions.”

Conference highlights included:

• Federal announcement on Indigenous-led clean energy projects: Brendan Hanley, parliamentary secretary to the minister of northern and Arctic affairs, announced nearly $17 million in funding to support a 7.5-megawatt run-of-river hydropower facility in Inukjuak, Que., in the Nunavik region, and the exploration of a 20-megawatt hydroelectric project at the Matawin dam. He was joined by Tommy Palliser, president of Pituvik Landholding Corp., and Michel Letellier, president and CEO of Innergex.
• Opening plenary: Charging Ahead? A Canadian Power Pulse Check – Sponsored by TC Energy and moderated by David Cochrane, host of CBC’s Power & Politics. Panellists included André Bernier, director general of the Electricity Resources Branch at Natural Resources Canada; Terence Hubbard, president of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada; and Kate Ladell, director general of ecosystems management at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
• Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Chris O’Riley, former president and CEO of BC Hydro, recognized for a distinguished career defined by leadership, mentorship and lasting contributions to the hydropower sector.
• Presentation of the Woman of Waterpower Award, in partnership with Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), to Caroline Marchand, manager of hydraulic proposals at ANDRITZ in Montreal.
• The inaugural WPC Dragons’ Dam competition, sponsored by Kiewit and Ganotec, featured student teams pitching innovative hydropower solutions. Team River Power: Tobias Nestel of the University of Victoria, and Nalyssa Runge and Tavleen Sihota of Simon Fraser University, won for a run-of-river microhydro design supporting Indigenous communities, with a case study on the Yunesit’in First Nation in B.C.’s Cariboo region.

“I’m deeply honoured to accept this Lifetime Achievement Award from WaterPower Canada,” said O’Riley. “To be recognized by an organization that champions the very resource that has powered my career – and my province – is profoundly meaningful. But this award is not just a recognition of my work – it’s a tribute to the teams, mentors and partners who’ve been on this journey with me.”

“Hydropower is a remarkable renewable energy source,” said Marchand. “I am proud to contribute to projects that use water as efficiently as possible to generate electricity. Our work not only supports sustainable energy production but also helps conserve our precious water resources.”

As the sector faces unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by artificial intelligence, electrification and data centre expansion, hydropower is poised to play a critical role. WPC reaffirmed its commitment to working with governments, Indigenous partners and industry to modernize Canada’s clean energy system and ensure Canadians continue to benefit from hydropower’s unique strengths: clean, renewable, reliable and affordable electricity.

Photos available:
Select photos from Canadian Waterpower Week 2025 are available for download.

About WaterPower Canada
WaterPower Canada is the national voice of Canada’s waterpower industry. As a not-for-profit trade association, WPC represents members across the sector, including hydropower producers, manufacturers and developers, who collectively account for more than 95 per cent of Canada’s waterpower capacity. The association advocates for the sustainable development and use of waterpower to meet Canada’s current and future energy needs.

CONTACT: Paula Gray
WaterPower Canada
paula@waterpowercanada.ca