About
Our Story
Community Circle has evolved since the organization’s inception in 2008 into the unique, independent federal not-for-profit center of excellence it is today.
Our journey started in December 2008, under Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, with a primary focus on R&D in rural and Indigenous drinking water areas.
After ten years, our focus shifted from academic research to accelerating the transformation of the ideas into impact for communities. We developed an award-winning trademarked approach called “Community Circle™.”
Today, our work aims more broadly to improve the livelihoods of Indigenous and rural communities through the lens of water health.
We employ an iterative and evolving approach. During our history, we have explored many innovative frameworks for participatory open innovation to take research concepts out of the lab and into the real world. We have, and continue to learn, how to better understand the landscape we operate in to further enhance our impact.
Our solutions look more deeply at the idea of “scale,” and seek to scale the acceptable total experience, rather than a specific product. We assess the equitability and sustainability of promising innovative solutions to ensure they can actually work for communities and stand the test of time.
Our Philosophy
Communities want to build, own, and govern solutions and take pride in the outcomes. Our job is to mobilize diverse talents to support communities in achieving these goals.
“Community Circle does not make a lot of the solutions you buy, but it does make the solutions you buy a lot more sustainable.”
Funding
Our major funding relationships are from both private and public sectors, including provincial and federal governments and generous private donors.
Our operating model is adopted from the “pay for success” approach.
Identification and Development
Funders contribute to Community Circle for identifying and developing novel water health solutions for at-risk communities.
Viability Demonstration
Once the viability of solutions is demonstrated, capital and operation costs are provided by either the government (for First Nations communities) or grants (for non-First Nations communities).
Government and Grant Funding
Government funding supports First Nations communities, recognized as the first inhabitants of the land, while grants support non-First Nations communities.
Grant Application Support
Community Circle supports partner communities with the development of grant applications to secure funding for their water health solutions.
Success is measured based on targets set by government agencies, the value defined by communities, and feedback from recipients, communities, and funders.
Awards & Recognition
Award of Excellence, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia
Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence
Award of Excellence, the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies British Columbia
Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence
Board of Directors
Our board comprises a prominent group of Indigenous and executive leaders, academics, and individuals who have distinguished themselves in advisory, innovation strategy, and oversight capacity. The board consults with the Indigenous Scholars' Circle to seek insights on specific issues as they emerge and guide the work of Community Circle.
Brian Bedford
Brian Bedford is the Executive Director of the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Local Government, Infrastructure, and Finance. The Ministry has been collaborating with Community Circle (formerly RESEAU) since 2010 and has participated as a Community Circle's Board of Directors member since 2013.
Marv DeVries
Marv joined Trojan Technologies in 1988, at a time when the company had just 20 employees. During his first 15 years with Trojan, Marv had responsibility for expanding the business by creating a global sales and service organization. He was appointed as President of Trojan in 2003 and served in that role for 15 years, until his retirement in 2018.Trojan Technologies is the global leader in the supply of ultraviolet light (UV) based treatment systems for municipal water and wastewater treatment, with more than 10,000 successful installations over 100 countries. Under Marv’s leadership, the Trojan business successfully supplied and installed several of the world’s largest UV projects, including Orange County, California, New York City, Paris, Rotterdam and Chicago. During his tenure as President, Trojan grew to a total of 750 employees, with global headquarters in London, Ontario, Canada, and with offices in 16 countries around the world. Marv holds a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Guelph, and a Masters of Engineering from Western University.
Linda Debassige
Linda Debassige, Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief, Former Ogimaa Kwe (Chief) of M'Chigeeng First Nation, Former Political Advisor to Grand Chief Madahbee-Anishinabek Nation
Irving Leblanc
Irving Leblanc, P. Eng., Chair of the Board for Community Circle and is the former Director of Infrastructure at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). He has been actively involved in Community Circle (formerly RESEAU) governance since 2008, where he also holds the roles of Chair of the Board and Co-director. Irving earned his civil engineering degree from the University of Waterloo in 1971 and is a registered member of Professional Engineers Ontario. As an Odawa of the Three Fires Confederacy and a member of the Wiikwemikoong Unceded Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island, Northern Ontario, he is fluent in his Odawa language.
Keyvan Maleki
Over the past 30 years, I have had the opportunity to contribute to major technology transformation projects across a diverse range of sectors and countries, including finance, banking, automotive, robotics, railway transportation, consulting engineering, education, sport, and water sanitation, in the UK, Italy, the USA, and Canada. In the last 15 years, my focus has been on bridging the innovation gap for rural and Indigenous communities, a unique aspect of my career. This work gradually transforms problem-solving and decision-making processes in the public and private sectors. My background is in information technology, specializing in artificial intelligence from Imperial College London, UK. I also bring expertise in customer-focused innovation and business administration, as well as a diploma in neurophysics from ICTP/SISSA, Italy. I have held faculty positions in the computer science department at the University of Phoenix, Sacramento, and the Bay Area in California, and worked as a Research Associate at the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, University of Birmingham, UK. Outside of technology, I have a background in athletics, having coached tennis and directed junior tennis programs in Italy, California, and the Pacific Northwest.
Stéphanie McFadyen
Stéphanie McFadyen is a scientist at Health Canada. She is the research manager of the Water Quality Program and has been working on water quality and human health issues for more than 25 years. Her focus is on understanding and dealing with the health risks from substances–bacteria, viruses, parasites, chemicals, and radionuclides– in drinking and recreational water. She works closely with experts to develop guidelines and advice that are used as the basis of water quality standards to protect the health of Canadians. Stéphanie holds a Bachelor of Science from Trent University and a Master of Science from Carleton University.
Madjid Mohseni
Madjid Mohseni is a professor of chemical, biological and environmental engineering at the University of British Columbia. He is internationally renowned as an expert in drinking water quality and advanced water treatment processes, with particular emphasis on ultraviolet (UV)-, ion exchange and electrochemical-based processes for the removal of microbes and organic contaminants. Madjid is the Scientific Director of Community Circle. His contributions to the water industry have been recognized through multiple awards, including the Award of Excellence in the Water and Waste Community from the BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA), Water’s Next Award from Water Canada, and Dean’s Medal of Distinction from the UBC Faculty of Applied Science.
Ted Molyneux
Senior Water and Wastewater Engineer at Indigenous Services Canada. Ted has been involved in Community Circle (formerly RESEAU) governance and evolution since 2010. Ted has been an advocate for filling the huge research and application gap between the various stakeholders supplying safe water to Indigenous and rural communities. He has been instrumental in the development of several innovation projects and the formation of start-up companies. Has inspired individuals in industry, young researchers, and, in particular, students to examine the impact of their research through the small and First Nations community point of view.
