Five long-term drinking water advisories have now lifted in Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation with new connections to water treatment plant

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation, ON, March 28, 2022 /CNW/ - First Nations communities, with support from the Government of Canada, continue to make significant progress in ending all long-term drinking water advisories on reserves and building sustainable solutions to support access to safe, clean drinking water now and into the future.

Today, Chief R. Donald Maracle and the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, celebrated that five long-term drinking water advisories have now lifted in Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation, thanks to newly built connections to their water treatment plant. The advisories had been in effect since 2008 on five water systems in the community. They were lifted after the First Nation extended its water distribution system, connected the buildings to the system and decommissioned the existing systems.

The new connections to the water distribution system provide clean and reliable drinking water to approximately 280 homes, 20 semi-public buildings and 756 community members. Water flowing to these buildings through the distribution system meets all current federal and provincial drinking water requirements.

One boil water advisory will continue for the Public Works Garage, which will be resolved through future water distribution phasing under Infrastructure Canada's Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.

The First Nation and Indigenous Services Canada have invested $58 million since 2014 to improve access to clean drinking water in the community, including the construction of a new water treatment plant, a water tower and extensions to the community's water distribution system.

Quotes

"The completed Phase III $19.5 million Waterline Project provides support for our residents to have full access to a dependable and safe drinking water supply. Improving access ensures the health, safety, security and economic well-being of our community, which is so vital to our residents.

We are extremely pleased on the progress made in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada and express sincere thanks to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; the Honourable Marc Miller, former Minister of Indigenous Services; Anne Scotton, Regional Director General, Ontario Region; and the entire Indigenous Services Canada project team for their support to realize this project. We look forward to future waterline projects slated for 2023. We are grateful to our MBQ infrastructure team and all contractors who worked diligently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to successfully complete this vital project."

Chief R. Donald Maracle
Mohawks of the Bay Quinte First Nation

"The federal government remains committed to ensuring all First Nations communities have access to clean drinking water. The recent lifting of five long-term drinking water advisories in Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Chief Maracle and the many teams that made this happen. We will continue to support First Nations in building and repairing infrastructure based on their priorities to help build healthier and more prosperous communities."

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services

Quick facts

• Mohawks of the Bay Quinte First Nation is located approximately 10 kilometres east of Belleville and west of Deseronto.
• The First Nation and Indigenous Services Canada jointly invested approximately $19 million for Phase III of the project.
• The long-term drinking water advisories had been in effect on the Airport Public Water System, the AC Miracle Apartments, the All MBQ Semi-Public Water System, the MBQ Trailer Park Water System and the MBQ Bayview Variety Apartments Semi-Public Water System.
• Since 2015, and as of March 21, 2022, 131 long-term drinking water advisories have been lifted and 34 remain in 29 communities.
• Since 2015, and as of March 21, 2022, 211 short-term drinking water advisories have been prevented from becoming long term.
• As of September 30, 2021, ongoing and completed projects include the following:
• 108 new water and wastewater treatment plants/lagoons
• 503 renovations and upgrades to existing water and wastewater systems
• 91 feasibility studies and projects in the design phase
• 94 supporting projects and initiatives, including training and capacity building.

Associated links

• Achieving clean drinking water in First Nations communities
• Ending long-term drinking water advisories
• Remaining long-term drinking water advisories
• Steps to lifting a long-term drinking water advisory 
• Government of Canada launches call for proposals for projects that enhance water and wastewater capacity building efforts in First Nations communities
• Blazing a trail: First Nations to control their water delivery services in Atlantic Canada 
• Circuit Rider Training Program 
• Wastewater in First Nations communities

Stay connected

Join the conversation about Indigenous Peoples in Canada:

Twitter: @GCIndigenous 
Facebook: @GCIndigenous 
Instagram: @gcindigenous

Facebook: @GCIndigenousHealth 

Twitter: @Min_IndServ

You can subscribe to receive our news releases and speeches via RSS feeds. For more information or to subscribe, visit www.isc.gc.ca/RSS.

SOURCE Indigenous Services Canada

For more information, media may contact: Alison Murphy, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, [email protected]; Media Relations, Indigenous Services Canada, 819-953-1160, [email protected]