Breaking with Conventions
CHALLENGE: Siska Indian Band has identified ongoing water issues as a key barrier to the health of their community in the Fraser Canyon region of BC. Of particular urgency, Siska IR 5B faces significant challenges with the capacity of their water system — two homes of the five homes in the community have been recently lost to seasonal fires. Residents of the three remaining homes report very low water pressure and limited storage during periods of high demand. Additionally, the existing system provides no treatment, resulting in intermittent short-term BWAs. Complicating things further are local sentiments of distrust and a historical reluctance to adopt changes for IR 5B, including disinfection technologies as proposed by outsiders to the community.
SOLUTION: The progression of the Siska Drinking Water Project has hinged on the collaboration developed between the partners, including Siska Indian Band, consulting engineering and manufacturing firms, FNHA, contractors, the local Circuit Rider Training Program representative and ISC. The partners have collectively created a customized drinking water solution, strategically designed for local suitability and process efficiency.
KEY CONSIDER ATIONS: The partners broke with the tradition of creating a request for proposal and enabled Siska leadership to meet with manufacturers and contractors to evaluate and select preferred vendors. Moreover, a consulting firm was able to utilize the insight from the manufacturer and the contractor, reducing its billable hours for the benefit of the community.
The Siska Indian Band in BC's Fraser Canyon faces water issues, including low pressure, limited storage, and no treatment. A collaborative project with local and external partners is developing a customized solution to address these challenges.
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Water Health Equity
One in six Canadians, including the majority of 1.6 million Indigenous people, live in rural areas and often face exposure to negative health and socio-economic impacts from unsafe drinking water. It’s a persistent crisis that has dragged on for decades, a dubious achievement for a rich nation often celebrated as a global humanitarian and human rights leader.
Treading Water
To tackle water advisories in Indigenous communities, we created "Treading Water," a 20-minute play with UBC's research-based theatre experts. The play highlights the experiences of water operators and communities, aiming to spark dialogue on water quality issues.
Operators’ Walkthrough Lab (OWL): Digital Circle in Action
RESEAU created AR apps for virtual walkthroughs of water treatment plants, enabling community input, reducing design errors, and providing remote monitoring and training. These tools were piloted at Yukon University in 2020 to support operator training and design accuracy.
