‘Water is life’: city pays tribute to Shoal Lake 40 First Nation

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This article was published 09/06/2023 (878 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

FOR 23 years of his life, Roxanne Balan’s son couldn’t drink a glass of tap water without boiling it first.

“He just had his first child a few weeks ago. It’s crazy that it’s almost like my grandson had to be born before he could have clean drinking water himself,” said the member of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.

It was an emotional and monumental Friday afternoon when members of Shoal Lake 40, Winnipeg city council and Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone staff walked from the convention centre to the fountain on the boulevard between Broadway and Donald Street to unveil a tribute to the community that is the source of the capital city’s drinking water.

For 24 years, Shoal Lake 40 was subject to a boil-water advisory.

By becoming Winnipeg’s primary water supplier, the community of 305 on-reserve members became an isolated island split by a man-made canal.

“You not only had to boil the water, but you had to strain it with a sheet and then boil it,” Balan said. “It was such a long process to do.”

It wasn’t until the successful completion of a water treatment plant in September 2021 that people could drink from their taps. The installation of the $33-million facility was spearheaded in 2019, shortly after the completion of the new, so-called “freedom road” that gave it year-round access to the Trans-Canada Highway.

At the ceremony, members of both Winnipeg and Shoal Lake 40 councils were given a taste of the fountain water, poured by a copper cup. Women, decked out in blue ribbon skirts designed for the event, gathered around the fountain for a photo.

“At one of our women’s meetings, one of the women said that she had a dream that we all wore the same skirts,” Balan said. “Women are the backbone of our community, and because we are the water protectors and the birth givers, I wanted something that would signify that all in one.”

A copper plaque honouring the First Nation has been erected at the head of the fountain, which was constructed over 50 years ago. It’s an opportunity for Winnipeggers to reflect on the water flowing from Shoal Lake 40 west to their homes.

“It’s about education and the amount of eyes that are going to be on that area,” Shoal Lake 40 Chief Kevin Redsky said.

“The unique relationship and partnership that we’ve working on for many, many years can only get better. We’re setting that example, not only for Winnipeg, not only for Shoal Lake, but for the rest of Canada.”

Following the walk back to the convention centre, guided by the beat of a round drum, Mayor Scott Gillingham and Coun. Sherri Rollins vowed to renew the relationship between the city and Shoal Lake 40.

“The fountain was established and set out in 1970 mostly to acknowledge the work of the engineers who built the aqueduct, but I don’t know that a proper thank you was ever uttered,” Gillingham said.

“Water is life. Thank you for giving us access to life.”

Three First Nations in Manitoba — Mathias Colomb, Shamattawa and Tataskweyak — live under long-term drinking water advisories.

In Canada, there are 31 drinking water advisories across 27 communities.

cierra.bettens@freepress.mb.ca