Environment Committee on Nov. 2nd, 2023

[Theresa McClenaghan]

I can speak with respect to that if the question was pertaining to the nuclear facilities. It's something that historically was very poor. There are more efforts by industry, but I think many indigenous communities are feeling that they're still not being heard in that sector.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thanks.

Ms. Idlout, you have time for one brief question.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Qujannamiik.

I have a quick follow-up for the Canadian Environmental Law Association.

You alluded to the fact that the current system to end boil water advisories is not working. Could you provide some recommendations as to how to make it work?

[Theresa McClenaghan]

We're really anxiously looking forward to seeing the introduction of a new Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act. We would like to see that come with a lot of flexibility about how first nations decide to exercise governance over their own water systems, and with adequate resourcing for doing so. We would like to see that very much situated within a multi-barrier approach to protecting drinking water, just like the inquiries in both Saskatchewan and Ontario found were necessary for municipal water.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

There isn't time for an answer, really, but perhaps you have a comment you would like to put on the record.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Qujannamiik for your testimony.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Mr. Kram.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

In three minutes, I'll just do a bit of housekeeping with a few items that have come up.

Ms. Tanguay, a couple of times you mentioned radionuclides. I wasn't quite clear. Are you of the belief that radionuclides and radioactive waste are getting into our drinking water?

If you could clarify your views on that, I would find that very helpful.

[Theresa McClenaghan]

I can speak to that, and the answer is yes. There is testing at certain drinking water systems downstream from some of Canada's nuclear power plants, and there's been a long-standing debate about what the drinking water standard should be, but if it were reduced to the level advised by experts, they would be very close to reaching that limit frequently.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Okay.

Mr. Yates, in your opening statement, you talked about climate change mitigation and adaptation. Climate adaptation is something that we don't talk about as much as we probably should. Could you give some examples of projects that you have implemented with respect to climate adaptation to make infrastructure more durable and more long-lasting?

[Carl Yates]

Certainly in the Wabanaki territory, areas around the ocean are extremely vulnerable to erosion and also to intrusion of salt water into groundwater aquifers. In particular, we pay attention to those things, and when we do any upgrades to waste-water treatment plants, we have to take into consideration the increasing rise of sea level, but also increasing problems with regard to ocean surge as well. There's a lot more happening besides the rising of the sea level.

When we build, we must make sure, if we can, to build a little higher, but if not, we have to be very careful that our discharge pipes are going to be well above the highest level we anticipate, hopefully, for the next 100 years. As the evidence, I guess, is showing, that could see an increase in the ocean rising anywhere from one to two metres.

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

Maybe I'll finish with Mr. Yates.

I've never met anyone who enjoys filling out federal government forms and applying for federal government programs, but you seem to have had more success than most. Can you offer the committee some advice about what we can do to streamline processes and eliminate barriers to make the application process more efficient?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Make it a 15-second crash course, please.

[Carl Yates]

Okay. Certainly the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority has, I guess, done well, and perhaps there's a case history on that. I encourage folks to read our 10-year business plan, which is on our website. You can get a lot of good information there.

In essence, we took a long-term view. That's what's very different. Also, I can say that we had good governance to start, so once we put our governance in place, we were in a good place.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Perfect. Thank you.

Mr. Longfield.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

For how long, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Three minutes.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Thank you.

I'll focus my questions, then, on Mr. Peslari.

It is very interesting to see how we can reach municipalities to support them. We used to have a program where we partnered with the federal government and municipalities called the PFRA, which was dissolved under the previous government in 2013 and turned back to the provinces.

We have some partnerships through the ag partnership agreements. We're talking about tree planting to take phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium out of the water that's going towards holding ponds, lakes, rivers or streams. That might help with the problem that you're indicating, where you have some contaminated ponds, if we were to look at something like we used to do at the PFRA.

I wonder whether there's an opportunity in this report that we're doing to reconsider having a partnership with Ag Canada that can address rural municipalities with water supply, tree plantings and that sort of thing, to help with the irrigation and keeping water clean in rural areas.

[George Peslari]

That sounds like it would be a good start for sure, yes.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Our difficulty is that, going into a provincial jurisdiction, you have to have a partnership agreement in some form or another.

I also think of rural broadband. We've had some successful agreements on rural broadband, and that's not unlike the infrastructure costs that we have with water. You have to dig ditches. You have to put in lines. Could you comment on rural broadband and whether you've seen some successful partnerships there?

[George Peslari]

I can't comment on that. I'm sorry. I don't know of anything right now.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Okay.

I've worked with the Western Ontario Wardens' Caucus, and they've done some interesting setting up of not-for-profits to help with this type of programming.

[George Peslari]

I will look into that.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

It's a matter of how we tie the rural municipalities together for best practices. These meetings are good, but we don't have much time to go into it.

[George Peslari]

That's right.