{"id":2355,"date":"2026-10-06T15:58:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/?p=2355"},"modified":"2026-10-06T17:45:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T17:45:57","slug":"canada-has-20-of-the-worlds-freshwater-why-that-isnt-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/stories-insights\/canada-has-20-of-the-worlds-freshwater-why-that-isnt-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Has 20% of the World&#8217;s Freshwater. Why That Isn&#8217;t Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7474a79d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:16px;border-top-right-radius:16px;border-bottom-left-radius:16px;border-bottom-right-radius:16px;background-color:#f3f4f5;margin-bottom:24px;padding-top:32px;padding-right:32px;padding-bottom:32px;padding-left:32px\">\n<h2 id=\"h-too-long-didn-t-read\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\">Too Long, Didn\u2019t Read<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-list\"><ul class=\"advgblist-251aa13a-33b1-4276-bdf4-1ea0f4d0b9dd\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">Water is worth an estimated $58 trillion a year to the global economy \u2013 equivalent to 60 percent of global GDP. &nbsp;Yet water security is at risk, with implications for food, infrastructure, and energy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">AquaAction turns ideas into action for freshwater. With support from RBC Foundation since 2017, it\u2019s helping municipalities and industries deploy proven water technologies that Canada\u2019s communities and economy depend on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">Today, RBC Foundation is <a href=\"https:\/\/aquaaction.org\/en\/press-releases\/aquaaction-received-2m-funding-commitment-from-rbc-foundation-to-help-accelerate-canadas-low-carbon-water-future\">supporting AquaAction with a grant of $2 million over three years<\/a> to scale AquaEntrepreneur.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">AquaAction has funded and mentored more than 125 companies and helped create 900 jobs since 2015, giving water technology entrepreneurs the mentorship, networks and first customers they need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">The result: more than 700 water solutions are now deployed across Canada, from leak detection to contamination monitoring to on-site water reuse.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Canada holds roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/services\/environmental-indicators\/water-use.html\">20 per cent of the world\u2019s surface freshwater<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/aquaaction.org\/en\/press-releases\/canadians-value-freshwater-but-feel-uninformed-new-poll-finds\">more than half of Canadians<\/a> name it as the country\u2019s most important natural resource \u2013 well ahead of forests and every other resource. But abundance isn\u2019t the same as security. Aging pipes, contamination, increasing demands and a changing climate are all straining the systems Canadians rely on \u2013 and protecting freshwater today takes intention and active stewardship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AquaAction is a Canadian nonprofit working to close that gap. Founded in 2015 and supported by RBC Foundation since 2017, it helps water technology entrepreneurs turn working prototypes into deployed solutions and connects them with the municipalities and industries that need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery great Canadian story begins with water,\u201d says Soula Chronopoulos, President of AquaAction. \u201cFrom the rivers that nourish us to the rinks where we play hockey to the waters that carried the early explorers, water connects us all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"RBC Supports Charities and Nonprofits\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pLZWL0w6ero?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-what-are-canada-s-biggest-water-challenges\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are Canada\u2019s biggest water challenges?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/aquaaction.org\/en\/press-releases\/canadians-value-freshwater-but-feel-uninformed-new-poll-finds\">three-quarters<\/a> of Canadians are very or somewhat concerned about the quality of Canada\u2019s freshwater, and a similar portion don\u2019t feel well informed about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn paper, we look extraordinarily wealthy,\u201d Chronopoulos says of Canada\u2019s water reserves. \u201cBut abundance at a national scale can create a dangerous false sense of security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Access to clean, reliable water is not equal across the country. Many Indigenous and rural communities live with frequent boil-water advisories, and the water that remains is under growing pressure from pollution, overuse and climate variability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large advgb-dyn-20f8fafc\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg 6720w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-1-Soula-Chronopoulos-President-AquaAction.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Soula Chronopoulos, President, AquaAction.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cClimate change is making water less predictable in every direction,\u201d Chronopoulos says. \u201cMore extreme floods, more severe droughts, longer wildfire seasons and storms that are overwhelming systems built for a different era. The infrastructure we have was not built for the climate we\u2019re living in now, and certainly not for the one we are heading for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The stakes reach beyond environmental impact. WWF puts the <a href=\"https:\/\/wwfint.awsassets.panda.org\/downloads\/wwf-high-cost-of-cheap-water--final-lr-for-web-.pdf\">annual economic value of water<\/a> and freshwater ecosystems at $58 trillion, equivalent to 60 per cent of global GDP. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about food security, infrastructure security, energy security,\u201d says Chronopoulos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her conclusion is straightforward: \u201cWhat we need is not more water. What we need is smarter stewardship of the water we have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-what-are-smart-water-solutions-and-why-do-they-matter\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are smart water solutions \u2013 and why do they matter?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smart water solutions are technologies that help a community get more from the water it already has. This means losing less due to waste, spotting contamination sooner and recycling what has already been used. As Chronopoulos describes them, they merge three things: physical systems, nature-based approaches and digital tools. The water-tech companies AquaAction has funded and mentored cover all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-list\"><ul class=\"advgblist-c1e946c9-209e-4751-8465-104950247e6d\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\">Quebec\u2019s <strong>Ecotime<\/strong> captures rainwater inside buildings and reuses it on site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>Ozero <\/strong>protects lakes from invasive species before they take hold.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>Clean Nature<\/strong> uses artificial intelligence to keep road salt out of waterways.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>Motmot<\/strong> sends robots into aging pipes to find weak points before they fail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>O\u2019land Water Stations<\/strong> has brought refill stations to sporting events across Canada and the United States, including the FIFA World Cup, keeping more than two million plastic bottles out of circulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What these companies share is the link between water and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can\u2019t go green without going blue,\u201d says Chronopoulos. \u201cEvery litre of water we pump, heat, treat, move or waste has an energy footprint. So when we reduce leaks and monitor systems more efficiently, we are reducing energy use and emissions at the same time. Water innovation is climate innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-aquaaction-helps-water-technology-keep-moving-nbsp-from-the-lab-into-the-community\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AquaAction helps water technology keep moving,&nbsp;from the lab into the community<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Founded over a decade ago by the de Gasp\u00e9 Beaubien Foundation, AquaAction exists because Canada\u2019s water technologies tend to stall somewhere between a working prototype and a signed contract. \u201cWe\u2019re Canada\u2019s only dedicated freshwater innovation and commercialization platform, and that\u2019s a heavy responsibility,\u201d says Chronopoulos. \u201cKnowing about a problem and solving it are two very different things. Water challenges are hard. We are a bridge between innovation and implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That bridge is built from four programs, each covering a different stretch of the distance between an idea and a working system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-list\"><ul class=\"advgblist-c16fabad-e952-4716-9f68-45cd0440ab39\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>AquaHacking <\/strong>starts with the problem, bringing students, researchers and young professionals together to build ventures around real freshwater challenges. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item advgb-dyn-a5e14331\"><strong>AquaEntrepreneur<\/strong> helps founders build the skills to bring a technology to market, pairing coaching and mentorship with pilot design and direct introductions to municipal and industrial adopters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>AquaNation<\/strong> keeps alumni in the community, advocating together and travelling on trade missions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>Water Literacy Project<\/strong> int\u201cMost innovation programs stop at the idea or the pilot. We stay in through the deployment, to the contract and beyond.\u201droduces children to water stewardship and the careers it can lead to.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"AquaAction is proud to partner with the Canadian Museum of Nature and Canadian Geographic in the Water Literacy Project: A national water learning journey.\" class=\"wp-image-2536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg 6240w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/10\/Figure-2_.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AquaAction is proud to partner with the Canadian Museum of Nature and Canadian Geographic in the Water Literacy Project: A national water learning journey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As many entrepreneurs already know, a good idea is rarely the constraint \u2013 <a>access to mentorship, networks and a first customer<\/a> usually is. And in the water-tech sector specifically, building the technology can take years, while earning the trust to deploy can take years more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMost innovation programs stop at the idea or the pilot. We stay in through the deployment, to the contract and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-what-impact-has-aquaaction-had-on-canada-s-water-sector\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What impact has AquaAction had on Canada\u2019s water sector?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since 2015, AquaAction has helped build Canada\u2019s water technology sector from the ground up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-list\"><ul class=\"advgblist-2b46180f-ea42-41f2-a8f9-d27c7882ac71\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>125+ companies <\/strong>supported with funding, coaching and introductions to industry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>900+ jobs <\/strong>created at those companies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>$130 million <\/strong>raised by them from investors and public funders<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>700+ deployments<\/strong> across the country, from pilots to restoration projects to industry-led initiatives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>140,000 Olympic pools<\/strong> of water saved, and carbon equal to 85,000 trees<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AquaEntrepreneur \u2013 the program RBC Foundation\u2019s grant will scale \u2013 accounts for much of the recent momentum. Since 2022: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-advgb-list\"><ul class=\"advgblist-a9aab45e-0063-4f4c-a101-b56731e8868c\">\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>$200 million<\/strong> in revenues generated by participating companies<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>550 pilots and $49 million<\/strong> in contracts signed with municipal and industrial clients<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"wp-block-advgb-list-item\"><strong>19x return<\/strong> on the Quebec government\u2019s original investment<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:16px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"683\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?quality=80&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"AquaHacking\u2019s 2025 Prairies Challenge tackled critical regional water issues in collaboration with Indigenous-led organizations and communities.\" class=\"wp-image-2374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg 11960w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2026\/09\/Figure-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">AquaHacking\u2019s 2025 Prairies Challenge tackled critical regional water issues in collaboration with Indigenous-led organizations and communities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-why-does-long-term-funding-matter-for-water-innovation\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why does long-term funding matter for water innovation?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RBC Foundation is <a href=\"https:\/\/aquaaction.org\/en\/press-releases\/aquaaction-received-2m-funding-commitment-from-rbc-foundation-to-help-accelerate-canadas-low-carbon-water-future\">supporting AquaAction with a grant of $2 million over three years<\/a> to scale AquaEntrepreneur, giving municipalities, industries and public agencies the technical expertise, third-party validation and ready-to-implement guides they need to deploy smart water management systems with confidence. This support builds on $4.2 million invested by RBC Foundation to date and is a part of RBC, RBC Foundation and RBC Foundation USA\u2019s overall commitment to providing $2 billion in community investment by 2035. As one of Canada\u2019s largest corporate donors, RBC is working with thousands of charities and not for profits across Canada and beyond to help strengthen our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Working alongside Environment and Climate Change Canada and Groupe H\u00e9lios, AquaAction will complete 60 pilots and 30 full deployments in six cities, expected to save 120 billion litres of freshwater and avoid 12,000 tonnes of CO<sub>2<\/sub> emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe first institutional client is everything,\u201d says Chronopoulos. As soon as a company gets one credible reference \u2013 a municipality, a data centre, a major industry, a federal government contract \u2013 50 more doors open.\u201d<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRBC Foundation has understood something not every funder grasps: building a platform like this takes time. The patience they\u2019ve shown us while we built out the process, the relationships, the whole ecosystem \u2013 that kind of patience is rare, and it is invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Chronopoulos puts it, a community is only as strong as the system it depends on, and there is no system more fundamental than water. \u201cRBC Foundation support gave us something very specific, and it was the ability to move from ambition to action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/rbc.com\/strongercommunities\">rbc.com\/strongercommunities<\/a><\/p>\n<style class=\"advgb-styles-renderer\">.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-251aa13a-33b1-4276-bdf4-1ea0f4d0b9dd > li{font-size:16px;}.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-251aa13a-33b1-4276-bdf4-1ea0f4d0b9dd > li{font-size:16px;}.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-c1e946c9-209e-4751-8465-104950247e6d > li{font-size:16px;}.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-c16fabad-e952-4716-9f68-45cd0440ab39 > li{font-size:16px;}.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-2b46180f-ea42-41f2-a8f9-d27c7882ac71 > li{font-size:16px;}.wp-block-advgb-list ul.advgblist-a9aab45e-0063-4f4c-a101-b56731e8868c > li{font-size:16px;}<\/style>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canada has 20 per cent of the world&#8217;s freshwater \u2013 and a growing problem protecting it. Here&#8217;s how AquaAction and RBC Foundation are turning innovation into action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":2507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/template-articles-and-stories.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,38],"tags":[],"rbc_sc_region":[14,70],"rbc_sc_partner":[204],"rbc_sc_content_type":[208],"class_list":["post-2355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate-mitigation-solutions","category-environment","rbc_sc_region-canada","rbc_sc_region-national","rbc_sc_partner-aquaaction","rbc_sc_content_type-story"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.2 (Yoast SEO v28.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Canada Has 20% of the World&#039;s Freshwater. Why That Isn&#039;t Enough - RBC Stronger Communities<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Canada has 20 per cent of the world&#039;s freshwater \u2013 and a growing problem protecting it. Here&#039;s how AquaAction and RBC Foundation are turning innovation into action.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/stronger-communities\/stories-insights\/canada-has-20-of-the-worlds-freshwater-why-that-isnt-enough\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canada Has 20% of the World&#039;s Freshwater. Why That Isn&#039;t Enough\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Canada has 20 per cent of the world&#039;s freshwater \u2013 and a growing problem protecting it. 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