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About Us

Who we are

The Clean Water Foundation is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to engaging individuals in actions that preserve, protect and improve our water.

• Chris Hilkene, President
• Gail Krantzberg, Director and Science Advisor
• Sean Morley, Treasurer and General Counsel
• Jaime Watt – Director

What we do

We work in partnership with public, private and charitable interests to create policies and programs that encourage water friendly behaviors.

We focus on issues where individual action is both the cause and solution to our water challenges. Areas of particular interest include:

• Water Efficiency;
• Non-point sources of pollution (for example, pesticides, automotive chemicals); and,
• Emerging chemicals in water (for example, pharmaceuticals and personal care products)

A strong environmental advocate, the Clean Water Foundation embraces a non-adversarial approach and works with all interested parties to define common interests and forge collaborate efforts.

Clean Water Foundation activities include:

• Research to support policy and program development;
• Production of information products and communications campaigns;
• Design and delivery of public outreach programs; and,
• Development of market-oriented engagement campaigns and projects.

Board of Directors

Christopher Hilkene, President
Christopher Hilkene has overall responsibility for development, delivery and evaluation for all Clean Water Foundation activities. He brings to the organization strengths in policy and program develop and has been contributor to Canadian freshwater policy for more than a decade. Chris’ policy contributions include: authoring the Annexes for the 2002 Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Management of the Great Lakes Ecosystem Basin; serving as the principal consultant to the federal government on the development of bulk water transfer policy; and acting as the co-lead in the creation of the Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation.

In addition to his work at the Clean Water Foundation, Chris is a member of the National Rountable on the Environment and the Economy and he teaches a course on water policy at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Dr. Gail Krantzberg, Director and Science Advisor
Dr. Krantzberg is Professor and Director of the Dofasco Centre for Engineering and Public Policy in the School of Engineering at McMaster University.. The Centre offers a Master’s Degree to engineers and applied scientist training them on complex environmental matters and enabling them to understand the application of science and technology to public policy. Gail completed her M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in the fields of ecology, biology, chemistry and toxicology, contaminant cycling in freshwaters. She worked for the Ontario Ministry of Environment from 1988 to 2001, as Sediment Specialist, Coordinator of Great Lakes Programs, and Senior Policy Advisor on Great Lakes. She is the past president of the International Association of Great Lakes Research. Dr. Krantzberg was the Director of the Great Lakes Regional Office of the International Joint Commission from 2001 to 2005, after having served on this binational treaty organization’s Boards, Council and Task Forces. She has authored more than 90 scientific and policy articles on issues pertaining to ecosystem quality and sustainability and is a frequent speaker to media and the public.

Sean Morley, Treasurer and General Counsel

Sean Morley is a partner in the Business Law section of Fasken Martineau’s Toronto office. Sean is engaged in a broad corporate/commercial practice focusing primarily on mergers, acquisitions, equity financings, competition matters and public-private partnerships. Sean is also a member of the firm's new strategic counsel practice group.

Sean has assisted clients in structuring, negotiating and completing acquisition transactions involving public and private companies, including assisting with clearing transactions through the Canadian Competition Bureau.

Sean joined the firm in August 2001 and was formerly Executive Assistant and Senior Advisor to the President and CEO of the Ontario SuperBuild Corporation, bringing a detailed knowledge of government, the policy development process and public policy.

During nearly four years in government, Sean held a variety of senior policy positions, including Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Education and Training, and Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. Sean provided strategic and policy advice to the Ministers advising them on the content and implementation of government initiatives and legislation in the above ministries.

Jaime Watt - Director
Jaime Watt is Chair of Navigator, a Toronto-based consulting firm that specializes in the measurement, evaluation and movement of public opinion, corporate and communications strategy and public policy development.

A specialist in complex communications issues, Jaime has served clients in the corporate, professional services, not-for-profit and government sectors and has worked in every province in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Central America, Korea and Kosovo.

Jaime was the senior communications advisor for the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the landmark 1995 and 1999 election campaigns and held the same position in the Office of the Premier of Ontario. Following the retirement of Premier Harris, Jaime served as Campaign Chair for PC Party leadership candidate Jim Flaherty and led an effort that many observers say has permanently changed the face of political races in Canada because of its boldness and creativity. He was co-chair of Premier Eves reelection campaign as well as Barbara Hall's campaign for Mayor of Toronto.

He currently serves as Chair of Casey House, Canada's pioneer AIDS hospice, as well as Casey House Foundation and is a Vice President of the Albany Club. He is a director of the Dominion Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center's Canada Institute, TD Canada Trust's Private Giving Foundation, and The Canadian Club of Toronto.

As well, he is a member of the President's Advisory Council for the Canadian Red Cross and is a member of the Executive Committee of Canadians for Equal Marriage. He was a founding Trustee and Co-chair of the Canadian Human Rights Trust and the Canadian Human Rights Campaign. In 2003, he was awarded the Queen's Jubilee medal for service to the community.

A highly regarded speaker and panelist, his audiences have included the Royal Roads University MBA programme, the Federation of Canadian Law Societies, the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, Campaigns and Elections' Election College, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Hospital Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Ontario Real Estate Association and the Public Affairs Association of Canada.

Jaime also regularly appears on CBC, Global, CTV, and TVO and in the National Post and The Globe and Mail as a commentator on public affairs issues.