2026 Manitoba Watersheds Conference
- Hosted By
- Manitoba Association of Watersheds
- Start
- 7 December 2026 at 8:00 am
- End
- 9 December 2026 at 12:00 pm
- Where
- Keystone Centre, 1175 18th St Unit 1, Brandon, MB R7A 5C2
About the Event
The power of collaboration, exploring the ways watershed districts work together with other organizations to leverage expertise, resources, and partnerships for greater impact.
Join us as we celebrate watershed district programming in Manitoba - honouring a legacy of partnership, innovation, and conservation at this year’s Manitoba Watersheds Conference. The Manitoba Watersheds Conference will be taking place December 7 - 9 2026, at the Keystone Centre in Brandon. We are excited to see you there!
The conference offers an opportunity for watershed district staff and board members to engage with industry professionals, decision-makers, businesses, and one another. It provides a platform for celebrating successes, fostering community building, staying connected to new and emerging practices, promoting education, and advocating for the protection of our water resources.
Need a place to stay? We have a room block at the Holiday Inn, across from the Keystone Centre. No group id number needed, just tell them you'd like a room in the Manitoba Association of Watersheds block! Unfortunately, Canad Inn is fully booked already.
Ticket pricing
Conference tickets are $288.75 (includes GST, subject to booking fee)
Banquet tickets are $89.25 (includes GST, subject to booking fee)
Agenda
Monday, December 7, 2026
| 7:00am - 8:30am | Exhibitor Set Up | City Square/Exhibition Hall | ||
| 8:30am - 9:00am | Conference and AGM Registration Opens | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 9:00am - 10:00am | MAW Annual General Meeting | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 10:00 - 10:30am | Conference Opening Remarks | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 10:30 - 11:40am | Opening Keynote | Valuing Natural Assets: How Standards Can Drive Municipal and Watershed Action | Stephanie Poirier, Standards Council of Canada | UCT Pavilion |
| 11:40am - 12:00pm | Sponsor Presentation | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Lunch / break on tradeshow floor | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 12:00-1:00pm | Administrator's Meeting | Meeting for Watershed District Administrators. Lunch served in meeting room. | Salon A | |
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Watersheds 101 | Provincially - hosted session for new municipal councillors. Lunch served in meeting room. | Province of Manitoba | Pioneer Lounge |
| 1:00 - 1:20pm | Sponsor Presentation | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 1:20 - 2:00pm | Fireside Chat: Industry Collaborations | The value of building relationships and working with watershed districts throughout Manitoba. | Samantha German, Manitoba Habitat Conservancy. Paige Englot, ALUS Canada. Andrea Laughren, Nature Conservancy Canada | UCT Pavilion |
| 2:00 - 2:40pm | Watershed District Lightning Round | Lightning round talks featuring projects, programs, and initiatives happening throughout the province. | Fire RD 13 Water retention - Joey Pankiw, Siene Rat Roseau Watershed District. Prairie Restoration Projects - Zoe Bailey, East Interlake Watershed District. Trout Pond Project - Zabrina Nolin, Inter-Mountain Watershed District | UCT Pavilion |
| 2:40 - 3:00pm | Break on tradeshow floor | City Hall Room | ||
| 3:00 - 5:00pm | MAW Projects Update | Learn about MAW-led projects including Prairie Watersheds Climate Program and Living Lab - Manitoba | Session facilitator: Dan Cox, Project Manager, Manitoba Association of Watersheds | UCT Pavilion |
| 5:00pm | Day 1 Closing Remarks | Shannon Pyziak, MAW Board Chair, | UCT Pavilion | |
| 5:00 - 7:00pm | Ice breaker event on tradeshow floor | City Hall Room |
Tuesday, December 8, 2026
| 8:30 - 8:45am | Opening Remarks | Jack Cruise, MAW Vice Chair, and Conference Committee Chair | UCT Pavilion | |
| 8:45-10:00am | Fireside Chat: Jurisdictional Differences | |||
| 10:00 - 10:45am | Panel: Programs available within watershed districts. | UCT Pavilion | ||
| 10:45 - 11:15am | Break on tradeshow floor | City Hall Room | ||
| 11:15am - 12:00pm | Lake Winnipeg Freshwater Ecosystem | Review of MAW's work with Canada Water Agency on nutrient reduction in Lake Winnipeg. | Nicole Mischuk, Manager, Lake Winnipeg Freshwater Ecosystem Initiative, Canada Water Agency and Dan Cox, Projects Manager, Manitoba Association of Watersheds | UCT Pavilion |
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Lunch / break on tradeshow floor | City Hall Room | ||
| 12:00 - 1:00pm | Manager's Meeting | Meeting for Watershed District Managers. Lunch served in meeting room. | Salon A | |
| 1:00 - 3:00pm | Concurrent 1: Technical Session | Tile drainage and provincial incentive programming. Addressing the Gaps in Seed Availability for Manitoba Restoration. Model Farm Network | Mitch Timmerman, Province of Manitoba. John Skinner, Skinner Native Seeds. Leah Blechschmidt, Nature United Session facilitator: Dan Cox, Project Manager Manitoba Association of Watersheds | Salon A |
| 1:00 - 3:00pm | Concurrent2: Leadership Training | Cultivating Collaboration: From Individual Mindsets to Collective Impact | David Graham, Edge3 Session facilitator: Lynda Nicol, Executive Director, Manitoba Association of Watersheds | UCT Pavilion |
| 1:00 - 3:00pm | Concurrent 3: The Case for Natural Asset Management | Join this applied workshop led by the national non-profit the Natural Assets Initiative to learn about what’s involved in natural asset management and the important role of watershed districts in building awareness, support and capacity. | Donna Chiarelli, Director of Programs and Capacity Building, Emily Sharma, Communications and Engagement Advisor, Natural Assets Initiative. Session facilitators: Camille Forbes, Renee Penner, Project Coordinators, Manitoba Association of Watersheds | Pioneer Lounge |
| 3:00 - 3:30pm | Break on tradeshow floor | City Hall Room | ||
| 3:30 - 4:30pm | Closing Speaker Session | Moderated discussion with Minister Ron Kostyshyn and Minister Mike Moyes regarding the importance of the watershed district program in Manitoba | Hon. Ron Kostyshyn, Minister of Agriculture Hon. Mike Moyes, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Moderated by Shannon Pyziak | UCT Pavilion |
| 4:30pm | Closing Remarks | Lynda Nicol, Executive Director, Manitoba Association of Watersheds | UCT Pavilion | |
| 6:00 - 10:00pm | Manitoba Watersheds Awards Banquet | Banquet Speaker | Michael "Pinball" Clemons | MNP Hall |
Wednesday, December 9, 2026
| 9:00am - 12:00pm | Watershed Districts Members Only Session | Salon A |
Event Speakers
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