Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

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.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

remote communities

The Mackenzie River is a lot lower than normal. Those who rely on it wonder if it's an anomaly

The Mackenzie River is a lot lower than normal. Those who rely on it wonder if it's an anomaly

Joe Lacorne looks toward the Mackenzie River, a familiar sight for many decades. But the river doesn't look normal. "The water level is really low this year," he said. "It's hard to get around with even boats." Lacorne, who has lived in the tiny hamlet of Fort Providence, N.W.T., for about 60 years, said he keeps an eye on the river for his community. "Spring time, [it's] always like a big rush of snow melting and that's when the water is up high," he said. "But during the summer, we just lost water, just rapidly. Water disappeared."

UW researchers say a simple biofilter can clean up water in wildfire areas well enough to drink

UW researchers say a simple biofilter can clean up water in wildfire areas well enough to drink

Smoke is a major health concern during a wildfire - but the fires can also have an impact on drinking water. Now, University of Waterloo researchers have helped discover a way to clean up drinking water quickly and inexpensively - which could be a game-changer in remote communities that find themselves without drinkable water.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation awards Concordia $1.5M for 9 research projects

The Canada Foundation for Innovation awards Concordia $1.5M for 9 research projects

Ashlee Howarth, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, received $240,780 to design and synthesize new materials that can capture water from the air. Howarth’s project will develop metal–organic frameworks, which are porous materials that can capture water in the air in both humid and arid climates. They work by attracting and binding water molecules to their surface, forming a thin film. As climate change threatens our freshwater supply, these innovative materials can generate clean, drinkable water in remote communities in Canada or be integrated into existing municipal infrastructure in urban areas.

New turbine that generates electricity from river currents being tested near Pinawa, Man.

New turbine that generates electricity from river currents being tested near Pinawa, Man.

A team of engineers is in Manitoba to test some equipment that could be a game-changer for small, remote communities. The RivGen Power System generates emission-free electricity from river currents, and its first testing site in Canada is set to be installed near the Seven Sisters Generating Station near Pinawa, Man. Engineers arrived about a week ago and installed the turbine, pushing it into the Winnipeg River on Thursday. Over the weekend, the system will be moved upstream and installed on the mooring system at the University of Manitoba's Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Testing Centre.

UVic leads national project to tackle water and sanitation crisis

UVic leads national project to tackle water and sanitation crisis

If problems around water quality and wastewater in remote and poorly served communities are to be solved, they’ll need funding, local involvement and technical know-how. Caetano Dorea, a University of Victoria professor in civil engineering at UVic, is leading a team that has been awarded a $1.65-million Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grant to train emerging engineers to work on water and sanitation projects in low-resource contexts in Canada and abroad.

Islander aims Clearflo clean drinking water system at Canada’s remote communities

Islander aims Clearflo clean drinking water system at Canada’s remote communities

“We can provide access to safe, clean water where it’s lacking in third world countries,” Haughton said. “Strangely enough, we have that situation right here in our backyard in Canada, which is surprising and disappointing.” Worth $300,000, the mobile system is designed to sit inside a 10-foot shipping container. It uses natural filters to remove bacteria, metals and chemicals. It can produce 50,000 litres of water in a day, via solar energy, which is enough for 500-2,000 people, depending on the location.

Neskantaga First Nation Still Doesn’t Have Clean Water

Neskantaga First Nation Still Doesn’t Have Clean Water

This past November marked 25 years since Neskantaga First Nation, located in Northwestern Ontario, was placed on a boil water advisory. In October 2020, over 250 Neskantaga residents were evacuated and transferred to a hotel in Thunder Bay after “an oily sheen was found in the Neskantaga water reservoir;” “high levels of hydrocarbons” were discovered in the water after testing. Residents were able to return after two months, but the boil water advisory remains. Chief Chris Moonias has called upon Ontario Premier Doug Ford to support Neskantaga First Nation in securing clean drinking water and properly trained water operators – Ford has yet to respond. Ending all boil-water advisories in Canada can no longer be delayed; Ford must act in accordance with the concerns of the Neskantaga First Nation immediately.

Liberal government will miss drinking water target by years, CBC News survey shows

Liberal government will miss drinking water target by years, CBC News survey shows

The Liberal government will miss a target it set during the 2015 federal election campaign to lift all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations by March 2021 — in some cases by several years — according to a survey of communities by CBC News. More than a dozen First Nations said projects to end long-term drinking water advisories won't be completed by the promised deadline.

Measures to stop spread of COVID-19 in First Nations limited by lack of infrastructure: report

Measures to stop spread of COVID-19 in First Nations limited by lack of infrastructure: report

Suggested measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 won't be effective in remote Manitoba First Nations unless housing conditions and access to clean water are improved, says a new report. "Asking people to wash their hands and isolate in overcrowded homes without running water is like asking people unable to afford bread to eat cake," reads the report, released Wednesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

WSP Canada Wins Award for Innovative Solution for Safe Water in Remote Communities

WSP Canada Wins Award for Innovative Solution for Safe Water in Remote Communities

WSP won for its work in developing an innovative solution for safe water in remote communities. Like many remote communities, the people of the Tl’azt’en Nation in northern B.C. had no access to clean drinking water. Because conventional water treatment technology was unfeasible, WSP Canada and the RES’EAU-WaterNET partnered to develop a treatment system for organic material. The project delivered a full-scale plant that allowed a 14-year boil water advisory to be lifted. The system uses natural biological processes, is low in consumables, reduces chemical requirements, produces little waste and is simple for operators to use.

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