Horse Lake First Nation Celebrates Grand Opening of a New Water Treatment System
News release
September 19, 2018 — Horse Lake First Nation, Treaty 8 Territory, AB — Indigenous Services Canada
The Government of Canada is committed to working in partnership with First Nation communities to build water and wastewater facilities that will ensure improved and reliable access to clean water.
Today, the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulated Horse Lake First Nation on the opening of their new water treatment system. The new water treatment system in Horse Lake is critical to the community’s efforts to ensure future generations have access to clean water. The new system features dual media filtration, reverse osmosis membranes, and ultra-violet light radiation. The source water for the system is a groundwater supply from three groundwater wells.
The original water system in Horse Lake was constructed in the 1980s and required a significant overhaul. Indigenous Services Canada invested $9.5 million to support construction and the system will meet all the Canadian drinking water quality guideline requirements.
Quotes
“Our government remains committed to working in partnership with First Nations to ensure that everyone in Canada has access to clean, reliable drinking water. I offer my sincere congratulations to Chief Ramona Horseman and all the members of Horse Lake First Nation in Treaty 8 Territory on the opening of their new water treatment system.”
The Honourable Jane Philpott, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Indigenous Services
“We have been on-line for about six weeks and it has been a very big change in our water; it’s been like night and day. It is a very exciting and a positive change; we now know that our water is safe to drink. This was years in coming but we now know we have great water.”
Ramona Horseman
Chief, Horse Lake First Nation
Quick facts
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Horse Lake First Nation is located approximately 75 km northwest of Grande Prairie, AB, and covers approximately 3,099 hectares of land. Horse Lake First Nation has 1,224 members, with approximately 494 living on-reserve.
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Budget 2016 provided $1.8 billion over five years to significantly improve on-reserve water and wastewater infrastructure, ensure proper facility operation and maintenance, and support training of water system operators. In addition, Budget 2016 included $141.7 million over five years in new funding to improve drinking water monitoring and testing on reserve.
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Budget 2018 commits an additional $172.6 million over three years to address water infrastructure in First Nation communities.
Associated links
Contacts
Rachel Rappaport
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jane Philpott
Minister of Indigenous Services
819-934-2796
Media Relations
Indigenous Services Canada
819-953-1160
SAC.media.ISC@canada.ca
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