solutions

Canadore College launches Water Teaching Lodge

Canadore College launches Water Teaching Lodge

Shawn Chorney offered to be the first to take a drink of water from the pond at the Education Centre this summer. The vice president of Canadore College’s Enrolment Management, Indigenous and Student Services, helped launch and open its new Water Teaching Lodge. The lodge is located in the First Peoples’ Centre in the main campus off College Drive. The lodge and the construction of an operational water treatment facility on campus will provide a new approach to clean water and technology that prioritizes Indigenous teachings about water.

Engineering Panel Explores Solutions for Indigenous Communities Struggling to Access Clean Water

Engineering Panel Explores Solutions for Indigenous Communities Struggling to Access Clean Water

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.

Opinion: Water crisis solutions must involve traditional water law

Opinion: Water crisis solutions must involve traditional water law

The question posted across the screen during both the French and English federal leader’s debates asked: “Water for all Indigenous Peoples?” The question sounds absurd because it is. Yes, we are still trying to ensure Indigenous Peoples have safe, reliable access to clean drinking water. The leaders took turns tossing blame, calling the Indigenous water crisis a national shame and promising to do better. Two election cycles ago, the governing party promised to eliminate all boil water advisories in Indigenous communities. The government lifted 108 boil water advisories, but today hundreds of Indigenous communities still do not have reliable access to safe drinking water.

Indigenous teen to advocate for clean water in Canada at UN

Indigenous teen to advocate for clean water in Canada at UN

The first time Autumn Peltier noticed a boil-water advisory in a First Nations community, she was just eight years old. “I asked my mom what that meant,” Peltier, who is turning 15 this week, told CTVNews.ca by phone. “When she explained to me that our water is not safe to drink, it all hit me.” The Indigenous teen from northeastern Ontario has since been advocating for clean water in First Nations communities across the country. Peltier is in New York City this week to speak about the importance of clean water at the Global Landscape Forum at the UN.