Monday, May 18, 2026
$40 million Pledged to Build Freedom Road
Shoal Lake 40 First Nation will get its Freedom Road after the provincial and federal governments, along with the City of Winnipeg, reached an agreement…
First Nations
Land Transferred to First Nations after Harbour Remediation
On December 6th, the federal Government announced the transfer of three parcels of land totalling 1.707 hectares in Rock Bay, British Columbia, from Canada to a partnership of…
Canadian Arctic Scientist Awarded Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research
Canadian Arctic scientist, Dr. John England, joins prestigious ranks, today accepting the Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research. England is a well-known advocate…
Toosey First Nation Completes Water Treatment System
On December 5th, Toosey First Nation (Tl’esqox First Nation) in British Columbia announced that it has completed a new water treatment system. The water system includes…
New Research Forecasts Impacts of Proposed Hydroelectric Development on Local Communities
New research from Harvard University has forecasted human exposure to methylmercury levels in areas of Canada where new hydroelectric development is being considered will be…
Water Top Priority for First Nations Infrastructure
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde opened the National Housing and Infrastructure Forum in Winnipeg, MB, on November 1st by calling for a First Nations-led…
British Columbia First Nations Community Receives New Water Treatment System
The Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, travelled to the Pacheedaht First Nation in British Columbia to congratulate the community on the grand…
Alarmingly High E. Coli Levels in First Nations
In a report published on September 29th, scientists found what they described as an “alarmingly high frequency” of fecal bacteria in drinking water sources at…
INAC Invests in First Nations Operator Capacity Through the Safe Water Project
The Hon. Carolyn Bennett, minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, announced over $4 million in funding for an expansion of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Safe…
$4.9 Million for Water and Sewer in Quebec
The government has worked with First Nations communities and their stakeholders since 2013 under the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act to develop “enforceable federal regulations that will better ensure access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water, the effective treatment of wastewater, and the protection of sources of drinking water on First Nation lands.”
Canadian Water Quality Ass. Comments on Bennett’s First Nations Promises
In response to Minister Carolyn Bennett’s public statement to affirm that, “Access to clean and safe drinking water is a right for all Canadians,” the…
INAC Reaffirms Federal Commitment to End First Nations’ Boil Water Advisories in Five Years
Minister Carolyn Bennett of Indigenous and Northern Affairs issued a statement this week reaffirming her ministry’s commitment to end boil water advisories on reserves in…
AFN Chief Perry Bellegarde Calls For Immediate Investment in Safe Water Systems
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde today said that a detailed investigative report by the Globe & Mail outlining the troubling state…
Why Training and Retaining First Nations Operators is a Challenge
The frequency of drinking water advisories in First Nations communities is known to be unacceptably high in Canada. In 2015, 169 drinking water advisories (DWAs)…
Lowest Number of Sockeye On Record Reported in the Fraser River
The Pacific Salmon Commission (PSC) has reported the lowest number of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River since estimates began in 1893. The PSC’s Fraser…
AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde calls for plan to end water crisis in First Nations communities
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Perry Bellegarde announced that the report by Human Rights Watch, Make It Safe: Canada’s Obligation to End the…
How Financial Actors are Responding to and Driving Water Sustainability
In recent years, investors have become more aware of the impact catalysts like climate change, population growth, and declines in freshwater availability have on the…
BHP Billiton Connects with Day Star First Nation on Water Project
BHP Billiton, one of the largest mining companies in Saskatchewan, has teamed up with local First Nation to connect 15 homes to its water treatment…
Academic Group and Royal Society of Canada Released Statement Opposing Site C Dam
More than 250 prominent university professors from across Canada, including legal scholars, political scientists, water scientists, and environmental scientists, released a statement of concern regarding…
Prime Minister Trudeau Visits Shoal Lake 40 First Nation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation in Manitoba this week. The visit was prompted by an invitation by VICE Media,…
Yukon Plans to Invest $1.5 Million to Expand Yukon’s Water Monitoring Network
The Government of Yukon has announced plans to invest more than $1.5 million to expand Yukon’s water monitoring network in between now and 2017, subject…
Fifty Organizations Make Recommendations To Strengthen The Fisheries Act
A new report calling on the government to make changes to the Fisheries Act is gaining support among a large number of Canadian scientists, First Nations groups,…
Verdict of the Peel Watershed Appeal
The end of a long and emotional legal battle to prevent extensive natural resource development in the Peel watershed has ended in favour of wilderness…
B.C. and the Northwest Territories Sign Transboundary Water Management Agreement
British Columbia Environment Minister Mary Polak and Northwest Territories Environment and Natural Resources Minister J. Michael Miltenberger signed an agreement today committing both governments to…