AWWA ACE65475

This powerpoint presentation begins by providing background information on the Office of the Auditor General's Report to Parliament in September of 2005: safe drinking water on First Nations reserves is not regulated in Canada; despite hundreds of millions of $ invested, many First Nations systems are not safe nor adequate; and, the technical help available to First Nations to support and develop their capacity to deliver safe drinking water is fragmented. The Expert Panel Scope of Work was to gather information and advice by reviewing examples of regulatory frameworks and regimes from other jurisdictions and countries, and collecting suggestions from stakeholders, through public hearings and written submissions. The second part of the Expert Panel Scope of Work was to draft a report to: examine options for a regulatory framework; analyze the benefits and drawbacks of each option; indicate issues outside the mandate of the Expert Panel that would have to be addressed to implement the option; and, provide a comparative analysis of all options. Information is given on the expert panel and process, along with Safe Drinking Water for First Nations, and challenges for small systems. Feedback included: funding by INAC does not always support the lowest life-cycle costs; policies and procurement not always efficient and effective; capacity is growing; views on regulation differ; enforcement would need to apply to all participants (including Feds); solutions will need community-level acceptance; and, traditional attitudes toward water are holistic and spiritual.