COMMUNITY WATER UPDATE
Chief and Council and senior staff met on April 17 to review and discuss input from the Elders Meeting and Community Meeting held in March regarding the waterline project and related matters. There were many comments and questions at the meetings but in general terms the opinions expressed were in three categories that were more or less equally supported:
1) Some opposed the waterline project and related agreement with Alberta;
2) Others wanted changes to the related agreement with Alberta, with a focus on removing the sections that deal with water wells on Nation reserve lands; and
3) Other elders and community members supported the waterline, see it as key to future generations, and want the Nation to proceed with the project.
In an effort to respect each of these perspectives and make a balanced decision, Chief and Council made the following decisions on April 17 by way of strong majority. In light of the seven expert studies over the past two decades confirming significant issues with the declining quality and quantity of groundwater at Ermineskin, Chief and Council decided to proceed with the waterline project but with important changes to Ermineskin’s path forward. This was revisited after the Nation’s recent election and continues to be supported by Council.
Ermineskin will re-open negotiations with Alberta to remove all sections of the agreement that relate to groundwater and water wells at Ermineskin. Those negotiations will be time limited and will have only until the waterline is connected to Ermineskin to satisfy the changes that the Nation requires.
If the negotiations with Alberta are not successful by the time the waterline is connected, Chief and Council have made a binding formal decision in advance to terminate the agreement with Alberta. If termination is necessary, it will not impact Ermineskin’s ownership share in the regional water system, the Nation’s seat on the commission that governs the regional water system, or Ermineskin’s legal entitlement to the 890,000 cubic meters of water annually from the Red Deer River (an amount that roughly doubles the Nation’s currently available water supply and ensures Ermineskin’s water security for many years).
For information, regional water systems are not uncommon, nine other First Nations have joined regional water systems and are now benefitting from improved water security and quality. As part of funding for operation and maintenance of water systems, ISC fully funds the cost of using water from regional systems.
Finally, as part of these decisions, Chief and Council have committed to further consultation with elders and the community as additional steps and decisions need to be made about new water infrastructure at Ermineskin or related matters.
