Clean, safe water is critical to human health, food production and more, yet access to this cherished resource remains a challenge for many Indigenous communities in Canada. Water advisories continue to be a common occurrence for these communities and an all-too-regular reminder of the different standards that exist in the country for public infrastructure. “More often than not, boil-water advisories are put on due to a lack of confidence in the system. Frequently, short-term ones are because there was a break in the line, the line depressurized and some contaminates may have been introduced into the distribution system,” explains Ryan Dunbar, president of SOAR Professional Services, a consulting firm focused on Indigenous employment and community development. The company was launched as a limited partnership with Dillon Consulting Limited.
Canada Pension Plan Must Scrap Water Privatization Deal
CUPE is demanding Canada’s public pension plan abandon projects to invest in a major water privatization scheme in Brazil. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is taking part in a massive selloff of public infrastructure being led by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, while the country is being ravaged by COVID-19. The CPPIB has bought a 45 per cent stake in Igua Saneamento, a Brazilian private water and wastewater company. Igua Saneamento will use a portion of the CPPIB’s $270 million to buy a public water system being auctioned off in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The auction is scheduled to take place on April 30.
Canada and New Brunswick invest in the expansion of the water system for residents of Memramcook
The water system expansion project will convert a test well into a production well in the new East Memramcook region. This will expand the capacity and the sustainability of the system and benefit the community by increasing access to potable water. The project will also provide water to residences that are currently not serviced. A booster station and a water storage tank will also be constructed in order to provide sufficient water pressure to residents. This expansion will also provide a secure water source for an additional 175 users.