Oneida Nation of the Thames signs $43M clean water deal with federal government
Clean and sustainable drinking water is one step closer for Oneida Nation of the Thames.
The community has struck a deal with the federal government to tap into Lake Huron’s water supply system via a pipeline from the nearby municipality of Strathroy via the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System.
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) investing over $43 million to support the design and construction phases of this project.
Oneida held a water ceremony before making the official announcement.
Chief Todd Cornelius donned a ceremonial feather head-dress, and clutched an eagle feather to signify the importance of the occasion.
“This is a day that we identify ourself as a Haudenosaunee person, as a Oneida person working to better our nation and our territory,” said Cornelius.Chief Todd Cornelius and Brandon Doxtator World Water Day at Oneida Nation of the Thames on March 22, 2023. (Source: Oneida Nation of the Thames)
A news release from the Oneida Nation said, “The new connection to the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System will provide reliable and sustainable access to safe drinking water to approximately 528 homes and all the existing community buildings in Oneida Nation of the Thames.”
The capacity of the First Nation’s existing piped distribution system will also be upgraded and expanded to deliver potable water and water for fire protection to the existing core community and homes planned for future development.
A boil water advisory has been in effect in the community since September of 2019. Oneida resident Sandra Doxtator told CTV News it’s been much longer since she’s dared to drink it.
“I’ve never drank the water for a lot of years, you know, over 15, 20 years,” she explained. “It just has a… it has a certain taste to it.”
According to Oneida, the water infrastructure project will take 18 to 24 months. “Once completed, there will be clean drinking water directly into the homes of the Oneida community.”
Sandra Doxtator said it can’t come soon enough. “I think that will be good for our community, to drink clean water, you don’t have to worry.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.