U.S. interest in Canada's water dates back to the 1950's, when the US Army Corps of Engineers was tasked by Washington with the responsibility of making sure America “never runs out of water”.  North America’s water resources were mapped – under auspices of NORAD - and these maps were sent to engineering firms to "connect the dots".  Seven continental water diversion schemes were submitted.  Editor/contributing author of Water and Free Trade, the Mulroney Government’s Agenda for Canada’s Most Precious Resource (1988, Lorimer) and Damming the Peace, the Hidden Costs of the Site C Dam (2016, Lorimer), Wendy Holm will trace US interest in Canadian water from those early maps to water's inclusion in the trade agreements to the strategic placement of dam infrastructure today.

A Professional Adjudicator, Wendy Holm holds two master’s degrees (Agricultural Economics, UBC; Cooperative Management, SMU) and has received two Queen’s Medals and ten national journalism awards.  A UBC Distinguished Alumni, she taught  graduate courses on the impact of globalization on cooperatives and communities at SMU (2019-20) and a Cuba-based course in sustainable agriculture at UBC (2005-17). She currently chairs a community taskforce to protect local groundwater resources.