Season's greetings and all the best in the New Year! Will it be a brown or a white Christmas where you are? Due to El Niño and climate change, temperature records were recently broken across the country, including in Churchill Falls, southern Quebec, Windsor Area, Winnipeg, La Ronge, and Edson Area. Since water is at the centre of the climate crisis, it is more crucial than ever that students learn about drinking water quality issues and solutions.
Thank you so much to our donors, board members, teachers, and volunteers! We could not do this vital work without your assistance. The holidays can be an especially stressful and difficult time of year, and gratitute is associated with decreased stress levels - so please take a minute to stop and think about what fills your heart with gratitude.
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Thank You So Much S.M. Blair Family Foundation!
S.M. Blair Family Foundation has provided us with $4000 to spend time connecting with other organizations and conducting research to launch and grow our new "Igniting First Nations Students' Interest in Becoming Water Systems Operators and Related Professionals" program.
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Thank You to All of Our 2023 Sponsors!
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Thank You Teachers, Donors, Volunteers, and Board Members!
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At this festive time of year, we would like to thank:
- The teachers and students who used our water testing kits, the teachers who engaged their students in citizen science by entering their test results into our Test Results Submission Website, who shared information with us about what they and their students did to take action, who evaluated our educational programs, who sent us pictures of their students using the water testing kits, who invited us to give presentations to their students, and who told other educators about our educational programs.
- Our donors who provide us with much needed funds to educate the leaders of today and tomorrow about drinking water quality issues and solutions.
- Our volunteers who take the time during their busy lives to judge Student Action Competition entries and to provide general assistance.
- Our board members who guide our organization, providing leadership and direction.
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Climate Change Christmas?
Here, in Saskatoon, people do not usually need to guess whether it is going to be a white Christmas because typically "you just get one", according to David Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. However, it looks like that's what we are having this year! Other places that might experience a brown Christmas include Calgary, Edmonton, Kamloops, Thunder Bay, southern Manitoba, Medicine Hat, and the Maritimes.
In the spirit of Christmas, we have put together an updated Christmas playlist for you.
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Over 230 Water Testing Kits Were Sent to Schools this Fall to Be Used by Over 12,000 Students
One positive aspect of the mild winter that we have experienced thus far is that we were able to continue sending water testing kits to schools later into the fall.
We have sent 109 Elementary Operation Water Drop kits, 29 High School Operation Water Drop kits, 42 Operation Water Biology kits, and 52 Operation Water Pollution kits to Canadian schools this fall to be used by 12,204 students in grades four to twelve.
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Grade 8 students at Montgomery School in Saskatoon, SK test water samples for total chlorine.
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Teachers, Please Give Us Your Feedback, Enter Your Students' Water Test Results, and Send Us Pictures of Your Students in Action!
If you have used any of our educational programs in your classroom this school year, we would greatly appreciate it if you would complete our Program Evaluation Form to provide us with feedback so we can continue to improve our educational programs and ensure that they are of the utmost quality for teachers and students across Canada!
If your students used Operation Water Drop or Operation Water Pollution kits this school year, please do not forget to enter their water test results into the Safe Drinking Water Foundation Test Results Submission Website! Thank you so much for your time! If you would prefer that we enter the results for you, please email us a picture of the results, upload them to Google Drive (or similar) and share them with us, or phone us (306.934.0389) and tell us the results. Thank you in advance for engaging students in citizen science!
If you used any of our water education programs with your students this school year, we would love to see your students in action! Please email us your pictures!
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Request Sponsored Kits for the Spring!
You can request sponsored kits at any time of year!
Be one of the first teachers to request sponsored kits for the spring and you will receive a kit!
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Join Our Facebook Group, Like Our Facebook Page, Follow Us On Twitter, and Subscribe to Our Channel on YouTube!
Visit www.facebook.com/groups/safedrinkingwaterfoundation to join our group on Facebook!
Visit www.facebook.com/safedrinkingwaterfoundation to like our Facebook Page!
Follow us on Twitter @SafeDrinkingWa1!
Subscribe to our channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/SafeDrinkingWaterFoundation
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State of Drinking Water Quality in Canada
According to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) (https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1506514143353/1533317130660) as of December 20, 2023 there were 29 long-term (meaning the advisory has been in place for more than a year) drinking water advisories in effect in 27 First Nations communities, excluding those in British Columbia. In November 2023 there were 13 long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities in British Columbia (https://www.fnha.ca/Documents/Drinking-Water-Advisory-Monthly-Summary.pdf). In addition, according to ISC (https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1562856509704/1562856530304) as of December 20, 2023, there were 24 short-term Drinking Water Advisories in place in First Nations communities south of 60, excluding those in British Columbia. There were 11 short-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities in British Columbia.
In total, across Canada, according to watertoday.ca as of December 19, 2023 there were 1,131 Boil Water Advisories, 38 Do Not Consume Orders, and 20 cyanobacteria bloom advisories (blue-green algae).
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This Giving Season, Do One of the Smartest Things You Can Do to Improve the Drinking Water Quality Situation in Canada - Donate to Safe Drinking Water Foundation!
You can make it possible for us to educate the leaders of today and tomorrow by making a donation.
Donations can be made:
- On our website (www.safewater.org/donate)
- By mailing a cheque payable to Safe Drinking Water Foundation to #1-912 Idylwyld Drive North, Saskatoon, SK S7L 0Z6.
Donate $3 or more by December 31, 2023 to get your 2023 tax receipt!
If organizations donate $1,000 or more they will receive recognition in SDWF’s quarterly newsletters twice, and if they donate $10,000 or more they will also receive recognition on SDWF’s website for at least one year (the SDWF website receives over 570,000 unique visitors per year) and their logo will include a hyperlink to their website. All donors are also thanked on our Facebook page and in our Facebook group. For more information, please visit: www.safewater.org/donate.
We also gratefully accept and acknowledge legacy gifts.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call us at 1.306.934.0389 or to email us at info@safewater.org. Thank you!
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