Intertribal Life Newspaper -

BAY OF QUINTE, Ont.-The Government of Canada and First Nations communities are working in partnership to improve water infrastructure and expand access to safe, reliable drinking water.

This summer, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and Chief R. Donald Maracle celebrated ongoing improvements to their water infrastructure that will improve residents' access to safe drinking water and safeguard the community from the effects of drought.

The First Nation, Infrastructure Canada and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) worked together to expand water service to the eastern Ontario community. Ongoing improvements to the community's water and wastewater infrastructure include adding nearly 23 kilometres of water distribution pipes to reach the majority of the community's 750 homes and businesses. Rhis expansion will improve access to safe drinking water and reduce the effects of drought on the community. Infrastructure Canada is investing more than $30 million in this project through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF). Infrastructure Canada's Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) is a $2-billion, 10-year program to help communities build the infrastructure they need to better withstand natural hazards such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and droughts.

The expansion is also focused on connecting 146 homes to the community's main water treatment system. ISC is investing $14.5 million towards the project, which is part of a phased approach that will improve access to safe drinking water and contribute to the lifting of five long-term drinking water advisories in the community. The project is part of the Government of Canada project to end all long-term drinking water advisories on public drinking water systems on reserves.

Drinking water advisories are preventive measures used to protect the public from drinking water that is potentially unsafe, or from drinking water that is confirmed to be unsafe based on water quality testing. They are issued both in First Nation communities and off-reserve by municipal, provincial or territorial governments in communities across Canada. A drinking water advisory becomes long-term when it has been in place for more than a year.

The Infrastructure Canada project will provide more than 2,500 residents in the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Territory access to safe drinking water while reducing the number of people affected by drought by 83%.

"The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte is pleased Indigenous Services Canada has provided $14.5 million to construct eight kms of water mains and an elevated storage reservoir extending water services along York Road to the village of Shannonville," says R. Donald Maracle, Chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. This portion of the reserve will be serviced from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte water treatment plant that was constructed in 2015 with financial assistance of $26.7 million from Indigenous Services Canada. The additional funding from the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund (DMAF) commits $30 million in federal funding to construct water main infrastructure on unserviced roads to homes that have experienced dry wells during drought conditions. The construction of these water mains will ensure that our members have a reliable supply of safe drinking water, a longstanding and important goal of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. We very much appreciate the financial contributions of Infrastructure Canada and Indigenous Services Canada to enable the community to achieve this important goal."

"This vital investment will bring us one step closer to eliminating all long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves across Canada by March 2021," says The Honorable Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Indigenous Services.