Thank you for the question.
The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority has been designed and controlled by first nations over the last 10 years, and its function is largely akin to how municipalities run services. I was talking earlier about the need for first nations to manage and control their capital and their operations. The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority will now do that for up to 17 first nations in Atlantic Canada in all of the Atlantic provinces.
That comes with a significant cost. Indigenous Services Canada is supporting the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority to the tune of $257 million over 10 years. It comes with considerable resources, but it also means that first nations organizations will manage and support first nations in their own affairs. That's a significant shift, and it's part of the departmental legislation that created Indigenous Services Canada, which is largely to support the transfer of programs and services to rights holders and to those organizations.
We're proud to work with the Atlantic First Nations Water Authority and recognize that they're the first organization to be in this space. We hope that many other first nations aggregates and institutions will follow that model, not only in the water space but also in other core areas that have been discussed today, and in others like housing and general infrastructure.