Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
water treatment plant upgrades
Wednesday marks World Water Day, a day raising awareness of the more than 2 billion people around the world living without access to safe water, including many First Nations communities in Canada. The federal government says 138 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted since November 2015, although some short-term boil water advisories have also slipped into the long-term category during that timeframe.
A new $9.6 million addition to the Melfort water treatment plant is intended to extend the longevity of the regional system, providing redundancy and a 40 to 50 year life span. The original water treatment plant in Melfort was built in 1958 and underwent upgrades in 1972. It was expanded in 1994, shortly after SaskWater purchased the plant. The system supplies water to approximately 9,000 users from the City of Melfort, the Melfort Rural Pipeline Association, the Village of Weldon, the Town of Kinistino, the Village of Beatty, the Town of Star City, Star City Farming, and Wapiti Valley Regional Park as well as several individual rural users.
Residents across the Kenora and Kiiwetinoong ridings will have access to clean water for potentially the first time in their homes, after $33 million was pledged for water treatment plant upgrades and repairs across northwestern Ontario last week. Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa says the announcement between the federal and provincial governments, which includes funding from the communities themselves, has been a long-time coming.
Canada's infrastructure minister says new funding for clean water, wastewater and storm water projects announced last week by the province and federal government won't solve all of the long-standing water infrastructure problems in First Nation, but it's an important step. The two governments jointly announced $69.5 million in funding for projects in 37 First Nations, including around a dozen in northwestern Ontario. Northwest Angle 33 and Onigaming will receive money for water treatment plant upgrades. Grassy Narrows will receive funds to replace sewage pumping stations. And Seine River First Nation will receive money to upgrade its water treatment distribution system.
Several local towns will be swimming in powerful funding money in the near future, providing vital repair services for their water treatment and expansion projects. Springside, Saltcoats, and Churchbridge are recipients of the Small Communities Fund, which provides financial aid for waterworks across Saskatchewan. The three communities were among 46 infrastructure projects chosen for funding in the province.
