Good morning, Chair Scarpaleggia and members of the standing committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you.
My name is Carl Yates and I bring greetings from the Wabanaki territory, where we do our utmost to live out the treaties of peace and friendship for all our relations. I am appearing on behalf of the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority, where I recently completed my tenure as chief executive officer.
We have prepared a brief for the standing committee's benefit. My understanding is that it's in for translation. My opening remarks today will be excerpts from that statement.
We are pleased the federal government is reviewing its role in the protection and management of freshwater resources in Canada. It is a particularly good opportunity for the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority to express its views on the stewardship of water resources now that it is fully operational and providing water and waste-water services to first nations communities in Atlantic Canada.
AFNWA is the first of its kind in Canada, a full-service water and waste-water utility owned and operated by first nations. Many of the topics to be studied by the standing committee are central to the sustainability of AFNWA. These themes are also embedded in the 10-year business plan developed and approved by AFNWA in 2022 with the vison of strengthening programs and the approach to service delivery, all in the spirit of self-determination and reconciliation. It is in this context that we provide recommendations to the standing committee for consideration.
I always want to start with governance, because many good things stem from good governance. You all know that. I don't have to tell you that.
The foundation of AFNWA's success to date has been connected to governance. AFNWA is a not-for-profit organization, led by first nations with a board composed primarily of first nations representatives who have carefully developed incorporation documents, a governance manual and bylaws to guide their decision-making. The AFNWA board of directors is also supported by an elders advisory lodge and three standing committees. The delegative policy, decision-making and monitoring roles are clearly described in the terms of reference for the lodge and each standing committee. Much of this governance work was carried out with the support of the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, with funding from the federal government.
We encourage the federal government to build on the relationships established between first nations and Indigenous Services Canada in their collective vision to have first nations exert more direct control of freshwater resources for the betterment of the communities they serve, all in accordance, of course, with paragraph 7(b) of the Department of Indigenous Services Act.
Speaking of acts, as the standing committee is aware, legislation is proposed to be introduced this fall to strengthen first nations access to sustainable water and waste-water services. Of course, what we see before us is a proposal for an act respecting drinking water, waste-water and related infrastructure on first nations lands. AFNWA has provided comments directly on the legislation to ISC Minister Hajdu, but it bears reinforcement through the standing committee. AFNWA is encouraged to see that the guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality have been identified as the minimum standards for drinking water. We're also encouraged to note that these standards will apply to both private and public water and waste-water systems.
To improve the legislation, AFNWA proposes that future regulations concerning waste water include effluent discharge objectives related to environmental risk assessments rather than national performance standards required by the waste-water systems effluent regulations. The requirement to conduct an ERA is consistent with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment's municipal waste-water effluent strategy, which was adopted in 2009 and offers increased environmental protection for receiving water bodies. Often, this is necessary to protect sensitive receiving waters by ensuring proper waste-water treatment, or to create efficiencies to reduce the environmental footprint and help protect public health.
It is also the view of AFNWA that future regulations must be met with adequate funding for implementation. With the standards identified within the legislation, it will be necessary for Indigenous Services Canada to develop, in partnership with first nations, a funding framework within the first year of the act receiving royal assent. This framework must address the years of chronic underfunding and help facilitate community growth and economic development.
The AFNWA looks forward to further engagement with the Government of Canada when the legislation is introduced to the House of Commons.
On the topic of private wells and septic systems, many first nations communities are serviced by individual wells and septic systems. Current ISC policy does not fund their installation, repair and upgrade. In our view, underfunded individual wells and septic systems have the potential to be a significant public health and environmental concern.
The AFNWA is currently conducting a survey to catalogue all individual wells and septic systems in its member communities. Once identified, the AFNWA will seek funding to conduct a condition assessment to understand the resources required to manage an ongoing program to ensure these systems are in a state of good repair. We request your support to fund these studies and subsequent programs to remediate deficiencies.
I'd like to speak to climate change, which I know is also an important topic to this committee. Similar to colonial municipalities across Canada, much of the water and waste water infrastructure within first nations communities is being impacted by climate change. AFNWA is pursuing technologies and best practices to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. AFNWA encourages the standing committee to recognize these needs when developing programs and allocating funding to first nations.
Last, but not least, I have a comment on research needs. Like any progressive utility, AFNWA is pursuing research partnerships to advance its understanding of the water cycle from source to tap and back to the source again. We encourage the federal government to support programs that promote two-eyed seeing with dedicated funding for indigenous communities.
AFNWA embraces two-eyed seeing, which is a process that recognizes traditional indigenous knowledge and western science as complementary to service delivery. In that regard, the standing committee should recognize the importance of partnering with leading research institutions to ensure we are on the cutting edge of technology and best practices to deliver more energy efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective water and waste-water services.
On behalf of the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority, we thank you for the opportunity to appear before the standing committee and we look forward to a clarification of roles and responsibilities through your continued studies.
Respectfully submitted for all our relations, nujo’tme’k samqwan.
