About
The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) is a not-for-profit, member-based organization promoting the sustainable development of waterpower resources in Ontario. Since 2001, the OWA has been representing the common and collective interests of the waterpower industry.
To date, membership has grown to over 160 organizations. Our membership includes generators, engineering firms, environmental consultants, equipment suppliers, manufacturers, legal, project financing and insurance firms, Indigenous communities, and other organizations, all sharing the common interest of advancing waterpower in Ontario.
Vision of the Industry
Waterpower is at the heart of Ontario’s electrification for another century: Affordable, reliable and sustainable.
Mission of the OWA
The collective voice for Ontario’s waterpower industry, the OWA accelerates opportunities for members to build what we need and sustain what we have in the communities where they invest.
Foundation
The OWA is committed to providing exceptional service to its members, to being a trustworthy ally to its partners and to offering insight to those who look to the OWA for leadership, direction and guidance.
The OWA is committed to continuing its operational efficiency and effectiveness, organizational resilience and fiscal prudence.
The OWA will continue to take a leadership role to advance good corporate governance practices that build confidence and trust in the organization by its members, government and regulatory agencies, partners, municipalities and communities.
Our Strategic Plan
Our Staff
The OWA’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan “Accelerating Ontario’s Electrification” speaks to a new urgency for the organization that reflects the new era of opportunity for waterpower in accelerating Ontario’s electrification. This is an unprecedented time in Ontario’s electricity sector to advance waterpower as a solution to our emergent and enduring energy needs and decarbonization goals.
The OWA looks forward, with the support of the membership, to putting this Strategic Plan into action.
Staff
Paul Norris
President
Paul Norris
President
- Phone:705-743-1500 ext. 22
- Email:info@owa.ca
Jessica Worosz
Events Manager
Jessica Worosz
Events Manager
- Phone:289-685-3035
- Email:jworosz@owa.ca
Hailey McFadden
Member Relations Coordinator
Hailey McFadden
Member Relations Coordinator
- Phone:705-743-1500 ext.23
- Email:hmcfadden@owa.ca
Janelle Fonseca
Communications and Community Outreach Manager
Janelle Fonseca
Communications and Community Outreach Manager
- Phone:705-743-1500 ext. 25
- Email:jfonseca@owa.ca
Eric Ashbury
Policy and Market Trend Analyst
Eric Ashbury
Policy and Market Trend Analyst
- Email:eashbury@owa.ca
Board
Nicholas Pender
Chair
Nicholas Pender
Chair
Nick leads a 1,300-person, multi-disciplinary team that manages operations, public and dam safety, asset reliability and a large capital investment program. Nick’s oversight spans RG's fleet, which includes one solar facility, two thermal stations, and 66 hydroelectric stations with 239 dams across 24 river systems, collectively generating 35 TWh of power from 10,000 MW of capacity. Prior to this role, Nick had accountability for power-generating facilities as the Vice President (VP) of Niagara Operations, including the flagship Sir Adam Beck Complex in Niagara, and hydro facilities in the St. Catharines, Gravenhurst and Campbellford regions. In previous roles at OPG, Nick was the VP of Energy Markets and had responsibility for the strategy and performance of all energy market activities in Ontario, the 24/7 power control centre for the fleet and trading activities in the US Northeast. Nick has broad strategic, energy market, contract and operations experience with leading UK, European and Canadian generators. Nick currently chairs the Board of Ontario Water Association, is on the board for several First Nation Partnership generating assets and supports his local community through a not-for-profit board with Skate Oakville.
Annie Merritt
Director
Annie Merritt
Director
Annie Merritt is the Specialist in Community and Government Relations at Innergex Renewable Energy, where her portfolio includes Ontario, Saskatchewan, and the Atlantic provinces. In this role she oversees engagement and relationship-building with Indigenous communities, strategic partners, and all levels of government. With 12 years of experience supporting First Nations governance, economic development, and strategic planning, Annie has a well-established track record in bridging industry, stakeholder, and rights holders’ interests to build upon shared priorities.
Stephen Somerville
Vice-Chair
Stephen Somerville
Vice-Chair
Stephen is an energy industry executive with over twenty-five years in the development, management, operation, acquisition and financing of environmental infrastructure, clean energy and renewable power generation, across Canada, the United States and in Europe. Stephen is responsible for re-contracting of existing hydro facilities generation and expansions and upgrades at FirstLight. Stephen is also responsible for Indigenous affairs associated with its existing facilities. Stephen in the past led multi-disciplinary teams in the successful acquisition of sixteen U.S. hydro facilities representing almost 1,400 MW of nameplate capacity. Previously, Stephen was a Vice President with Competitive Power Ventures (“CPV”), Inc. where he was responsible for the development of all CPV’s natural gas-fired power generation development projects (and associated natural gas pipeline and transmission lines) and large-scale wind projects, across Canada. Prior to joining CPV, Stephen was a member of the Probyn & Company and Clean Power Income Fund team responsible for business development and acquisitions. Stephen has experience working with the IESO, the Ministry of Energy, and various First Nations Groups across Canada and is a member of the Board of both the Association of Power Producers of Ontario (“APPrO”) and former Chair of the Board of the Ontario WaterPower Association (OWA). Stephen has also been the APPrO Annual Conference Chair from 2005 through 2025. Stephen holds an MBA from the University of Toronto and an Honours B.A. degree in Economics from the University of Waterloo.
Caitlin Sykes
Director
Caitlin Sykes
Director
Caitlin Sykes is a water resource engineer with over 16+ years of experience in the hydroelectric industry, including 11 years at Ontario Power Generation and 5+ years at Algonquin Power. As a licensed professional engineering with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Waterloo and a graduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, Caitlin has focused her education and career in the field of water management within the Canadian landscape. In her current role as Director of Asset Strategy at Algonquin Power, Caitlin manages the commercial portfolio of 14 hydroelectric assets across Canada and is responsible for P&L performance, contract management, stakeholder relations, and commercial strategy. Having also worked in the areas of water resource management, energy markets, and hydroelectric optimization, Caitlin values working on an interdisciplinary team to solve complex problems and looks forward to bringing her experience and passion for collaboration to the OWA’s Board of Directors.
James Carter
Treasurer
James Carter
Treasurer
James Carter has more than 28 years of experience in the independent power industry. He has focused primarily on the development, permitting, construction, and operations of hydroelectric generating facilities. He has also participated in the development and acquisition of wind and solar facilities in North and South America, and the operations of commercial solar. He is an advisor to various companies, sits as a member of the Board of Directors for Regional Power Inc., and represents Connor Clark & Lunn and Pic Mobert Hydro Inc. with the Ontario Waterpower Association. James has developed and operated 70 MW of new waterpower for Regional Power, managed the operating fleet of 102 MW in British Columbia and Ontario, and permitted a 25 MW development-stage project in Quebec. James continues to support Connor Clark & Lunn and Regional Power in operating Capstone Infrastructure’s portfolio of operating hydro sites totaling 36 MW, which were acquired from Regional Power in 2001. James is actively pursuing new business development opportunities in the renewable energy space for partnership, development, or investment.
Julien Wu
Director
Julien Wu
Director
Bonnie Hiltz
Corporate Secretary
Bonnie Hiltz
Corporate Secretary
Bonnie Hiltz has over a decade and a half of experience working in Ontario’s electricity sector. Since 2005, Bonnie has been intimately involved with the evolution of electricity supply policies, having worked at both the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Power Authority (now the IESO). She has contributed to the design and implementation of the coal phase-out strategy and multiple supply procurements for renewable and gas generation. She was also involved in contract management functions for billions of dollars of supply agreements with the OPA/IESO. Bonnie left the public sector in 2014 to oversee Government and Regulatory Affairs for a major international utility and energy services provider. In this role, she advised on supply and de-carbonization policies and assisted business development efforts across Canada. In her previous role as Vice President in the Energy and Environment group at Sussex Strategy, Bonnie served a number of clients in the energy sector as they navigated the complex government and regulatory environment. Bonnie has previously served on the Boards of the Canadian Solar Industries Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (now merged as the Canadian Renewable Energy Association). She has an M.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. She is fluent in French and Spanish and has lived in the United States, France, Switzerland and Costa Rica.
Karina Seto
Director
Karina Seto
Director
Karina Seto is currently the Manager of Product Development at Kruger Energy. Karina previously lead the structural engineering discipline for Kiewit’s internal Hydropower, Dams and Hydraulic Structures engineering team. She has worked in hydro and dams in Ontario since being introduced to the industry in her first summer job as an engineering student. Previously, Karina worked for 10 years in consulting engineering in the areas of dam safety, dam design and construction, and hydropower development.
Michael Morgenroth
Director
Michael Morgenroth
Director
Michael is a mechanical engineer with over thirty years of experience from concept to implementation of water and wind power projects in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. He is currently responsible for Stantec’s hydropower and dams sector in Canada. Michael’s technical latitude has spanned component and system level design, site engineering, commissioning, laboratory and field performance testing, equipment selection inspection and assessment, troubleshooting, assessment of aging infrastructure, risk, and other specialty studies. He has managed projects, emerging technologies, contractor prequalification, technical bid evaluation, and contract negotiations for equipment supply, construction and service contracts. Michael has developed computerized optimization tools for risk-based capital expenditure planning on hydro plants and for the collector system and layout of wind farms. Prior to Stantec, Michael was part of the executive team of an Independent Power Producer, and early in his career was a product developer for a manufacturer. He led multidisciplinary engineering teams during project initiation, development, construction, and operations. His longer-term construction engagements include a 20MW run-of-river hydro plant and a 138-kV transmission line in Canada, and a Resident Engineer position on a 45MW hydro plant in Guatemala. He has served on standard setting committees as well as advisory panels to government and academia including as lead instructor of a M.Eng. course at the University of Toronto.
Oluseyi Smith
Director
Oluseyi Smith
Director
Oluseyi "Seyi" Smith is an engineering leader with a robust background in the utility sector, encompassing generation, transmission, and distribution. He is also a retired two-time Canadian Olympian, having competed in both summer and winter games. As the Director of Generation & Operations at Portage Power, he leads operators and engineering teams to optimize existing asset efficiency while developing new generation projects. Previously at Hydro Ottawa, he managed capital projects on the distribution network, including the Light Rail Transit (LRT) interconnection. His past work at AltaLink included managing the technical aspects of large-scale electrical utility projects and engineering the interconnection of renewable energy plants to Alberta's transmission grid. Seyi brings extensive board experience from the sports world having served as a Board Director of the Canadian Olympic Committee and is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee’s Athlete's & Sustainability/Legacy Committee.
Sophie Alrhieh
Director
Sophie Alrhieh
Director
Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard
Strategic Advisor
Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard
Strategic Advisor
Dr. Dawn Lavell Harvard, Ph.D., is a proud member of the Wiikwemkoong First Nation, on Manitoulin Island, the first Aboriginal Trudeau Scholar, and has worked to advance the rights of Aboriginal women as the President of the Ontario Native Women's Association since 2003. After serving as Vice-president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada for three years, Dawn was elected National President at the 41st Annual General Assembly, July 11, 2015 in Montreal, Quebec. In October 2016, after fulfilling her promise to see the MMIWG Inquiry initiated, Dawn left her role as National Leader and took on the role of Director at the First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University.