This text is part of the Philanthropy special

In 2015, Nan-B de Gaspé Beaubien and her husband Philippe were shocked when their grandchildren visited them and told them they wanted to devote themselves to the cause of water. Like most Canadians, these philanthropists found this lush element of the country to be something common and taken for granted. They changed their minds and understood that water conservation is an essential issue for human survival.

While the Gaspé Beaubien Foundation has made a name for itself for more than 20 years by supporting entrepreneurial families, in recent years, under the influence of the fourth generation, it has turned to water protection.

“We are very close to our grandchildren,” says Nan-B de Gaspé Beaubien. When they came to us, we always started the day with a thought for the day. For us, one of the values ​​that we wanted to pass on to them is that those who have received a lot must also give a lot. And they got that. »

But like many other young people committed to protecting the environment, the new generation of Gaspé Beaubien has developed a passion for water. Canada has 20% of the world’s freshwater reserves. Canadians are the advocates of wasting water. In addition, water will become a major geopolitical issue in the coming decades. Gaspé Beaubien’s grandchildren were aware of this and convinced their grandparents to focus their foundation’s efforts on water conservation.

“We need to see the value of water,” says Nan-B de Gaspé Beaubien, who herself has spent a lot of time reading on the subject. Since that change, the foundation has committed $10 million to water conservation.

A common good

“The Gaspé Beaubien Foundation has decided not to distribute small amounts here and there, but to invest substantially in a single organization,” explains Dominique Monchamp, Executive Director of the Foundation. Water is a complex cause that requires complex solutions. We decided to bring together advocates of the project to create a new non-profit organization that is truly aligned with the values ​​and goals we want to represent. That’s why we founded AquaAction, which has its own board of directors, to which the foundation makes donations. »

AquaAction is currently focusing its action on North America.

“One of our biggest problems is the fact that Canadians are completely unaware of the importance and value of water and take it for granted,” says Nan-B de Gaspé Beaubien. Canada is not playing the global leadership role it should on water conservation. »

The aim of the Foundation is not to exercise control but to collaborate with community actors.

“We work with groups and organizations, most notably the Quebec Coalition for Healthy Waters, which brings together 12 major Quebec organizations dedicated to advancing water policy and fostering dialogue with government agencies. We fundamentally believe that water is a public good and must be managed by the state. However, we recognize that technological innovation is not sufficiently central to water management in Canada and that this needs to change,” says Dominique Monchamp.

AquaAction’s goal is to become Canada’s leader in water conservation while bringing innovation, technology and entrepreneurship to the cause. Its flagship program, AquaHacking, brings to life innovative technology companies developing a variety of solutions to protect or save water in different contexts.

AquaHacking is a ten-month emergence program for pre-startup companies that targets young shoots before they even enter the incubation phase. The aim is to identify the best scientists, engineers and administrators who have relevant and innovative ideas on water technology. The program helps them turn their idea into a business or non-profit organization.

“It’s fascinating to see how passionate this generation is and how passionate they are about finding solutions,” says AquaAction President Soula Chronopoulos.

A political action

The message to take away from the actions of the Gaspé Beaubien Foundation and AquaAction is that water is a universal good that needs to be taken care of.

“There are no limits to water conservation,” says Dominique Monchamp. The Trudeau administration recently announced a $650 million water action plan, specifically to protect the Great Lakes. It’s a step in the right direction. »

In addition to supporting AquaAction, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation uses part of its budget to mobilize the population and coalitions to maintain dialogue with governments.

“We sit on the steering committee of the Canadian Coalition for Clean Water with the goal of starting a public policy dialogue,” says Frau^Me Monchamp. This coalition represents more than 60 organizations across Canada. We have asked the federal government to invest $1 billion over five years, revise its Freshwater Act, and create an independent Canadian Water Authority to coordinate all departments and relationships with the provinces and the United States related to water management. The founding of the agency was recently announced. »

In Quebec, the Blue Fund was just announced at 500 million. Manufacturing companies that use water in their operations must contribute to this fund.

“We are humbly trying to play a unifying role through our participation in these coalitions, to allow those involved to work together rather than in isolation,” says Dominique Monchamp.

One concern remains for Nan-B: raising public awareness of the importance of water.

“Canadians are not sufficiently aware of these issues,” she laments. It is an environmental problem, but also a public health problem. »

This content was created by the Special Publications team at Duty, related to marketing. The elaboration of Duty did not participate.

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