Water at Discovery 2010

L-R: John Coburn (XPV Capital), Deborah Martin-Downs (TRCA), Nicholas Parker (CleanTech Group), Angella Hughes (Xogen), William Cairns (Trojan) take part in Tuesday's OCE Discovery 2010 water panel. Credit: Water Canada

“The title of this session is all wrong,” said Nicholas Parker at Tuesday’s Water is Our Future panel at Discovery 2010. “Water is our present, not only our future.”

The executive chairman of the CleanTech Group was part of a timely discussion that followed that morning’s announcement revealing details of Ontario’s anticipated Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act.

Moderated by Rick Findlay of the Canadian Water Network, the session covered water technology innovation in the province. In addition to Parker, panellists included John Coburn of XPV Capital, Deborah Martin-Downs of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Angella Hughes of Xogen Technologies, and William Cairns of Trojan Technologies.

“We’ve had a head start in Ontario, but we’ve forfeited it somewhat to countries like Singapore, who are typically developing tech to solve domestic problems—which is why today’s announcement is so welcome,” said Parker.

Findlay asked how we might build the business ecosystem that will sustain Ontario as a world-class water hub. “We’ve got to think about water differently,” said Martin-Downs. Parker agreed: “We can’t see water in isolation.”

Coburn explained that the water technology climate is much different than 30 years ago. “There are 40 big guys, nothing in the middle, and thousands of start-ups,” he said. “We need to build the next generation to complement the bigger companies.”

He’s right. But how well-positioned is Ontario to build the business, and what about taking a tech beyond pilot stages? Coburn said that angel investors are in need of risk reduction, citing tax credits such as the B.C. innovation tax credit model. “There are ways to stimulate it—we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but there needs to be some change.”

Another big part of bringing a new technology to market is testing and proving it. Where are the incentives for pilot sites in municipalities, I asked the panellists. Does lack thereof hinder willing participants? Hughes referenced Xogen’s plant in Orangeville, and said that’s there’s no incentives for the Town other than the new technology.

In closing, Findlay asked the panellists for their final thoughts. “The world has to solve these problems,” offered Parker. “We can adapt other people’s solutions, or we can do it ourselves.”

“Innovation must be made habit,” concluded Cairns.

Follow Water Canada’s event attendance in photos on Twitter @CanadianWater and Twitpic.