The Ontario Water Consortium has submitted a proposal for funding to establish the Ontario Water Advantage Program (OWAP). This initiative is designed to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of Ontario-made solutions to build resilient and sustainable water systems, supporting national priorities while strengthening infrastructure and driving economic growth.
Why OWAP, and Why Now
Canada’s water and wastewater systems face mounting pressures from aging infrastructure, climate volatility, emerging contaminants, cyber risks, and rising demands from housing, energy, and industrial development. While Ontario has a strong base of water research and technology firms, many innovations stall between laboratory validation and real-world adoption.
OWAP is designed to address this structural gap. The program focuses on de-risking technologies at the point where utilities, industrial users, and infrastructure owners need credible performance data before becoming first buyers. By doing so, it strengthens the conditions for commercialization, export growth, and long-term sector competitiveness.
The program is structured around two streams.
The Technology Advancement and Adoption stream supports small and medium-sized enterprises partnering with post-secondary institutions to validate and demonstrate innovative solutions. The focus is on accelerating commercialization, supporting early adopters, and strengthening the capacity of water systems under stress.
The Innovation Infrastructure stream supports post-secondary institutions in upgrading testbeds and research platforms, ensuring that technologies can be evaluated and scaled in real-world settings while maintaining Canadian control over sensitive water data and technology. Workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions will ensure that results benefit the broader water sector and inform future planning and policy.
Expected Outcomes
Through these activities, OWAP is intended to deliver tangible economic and sector outcomes. These include stronger commercialization pathways for Ontario-based companies, increased collaboration across industry and academia, and a more competitive and resilient technology cluster in southern Ontario.
By accelerating adoption, the program supports job creation, revenue growth, and export readiness, while also improving the performance of the water systems that underpin economic activity, public health, and environmental protection.
Why This Matters
Water is a foundational enabler of economic growth. Housing development, clean energy expansion, advanced manufacturing, food systems, and industrial competitiveness all depend on reliable and resilient water and wastewater infrastructure. Strengthening the pathway from innovation to adoption in this sector is not optional. It is a prerequisite for delivering on broader economic and infrastructure ambitions.
OWAP positions Ontario-developed solutions to play a larger role in meeting these demands, ensuring that innovation translates into real-world impact.
About the Ontario Water Consortium
Founded in 2011, OWC is the only sector support organization in Ontario for water innovation. OWC has mobilized over $90 million in project funding, catalyzed 80+ technology projects, supported over 350 industry jobs, and benefited more than 100 academic partners. OWC’s mission is to drive the evolution of the water sector through collaboration, innovation, and strategic partnerships, addressing both current and emerging water management challenges.