CANADALAND6 Jan 2025

Waste Management: Sh*t is Complicated

We don't like to think about sewage. And when it's all working fine, we don't have to. But if we don't get comfortable talking about shit, we could soon be headed for serious trouble if our infrastructure collapses. And given that recent reports say 30 percent of Canadian water and wastewater infrastructure has either reached or passed the end of its lifespan, that failure feels more like a when than an if.

Reporter Leora Shertzer digs into he problems of one small Ontario town where they’ve spent decades trying to sort their shit out.

But solving it will mean untangling a mess of political, environmental, engineering, and frankly, personal interests. Because shit is complicated.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Reported by: Leora Shertzer

Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer)

Caleb Thompson (Post Production)

Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer)

max collins (Production Manager)

Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)

Additional music by Audio Network

Further reading:

Calgary residents cut water consumption to record low as city placed under state of emergency

How a political disaster brewed in Brighton

HTO: Toronto's Water from Lake Iroquois to Lost Rivers to Low-flow Toilets

Canadian Infrastructure Report Card

The Humanure Handbook

Long, successful sewage plant battle leaves Victoria's Mr. Floatie pooped, ready to retire

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