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Midwestern

Nawash Unceded First Nation Needs Better Drinking Water

The Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation are asking for help from senior levels of government to improve the quality of their drinking water.

Nawash councillors have applied to the provincial Small Communities Fund for a grant to upgrade the water treatment plant on Cape Croker.

Water treatment operator Randy Carriere says they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading the water system, but it needs significantly more investment if the community intends on growing.

23 homes on Cape Croker currently do not have potable water, and they currently deliver treated water to those homes, which is stored in cisterns and not considered safe for drinking unless it is boiled.

South Bruce Peninsula council is lending its moral support to the project, which is a requirement for the approvals process.

Nawash councillor Bernard Keeshig says it's no surprise to him to have the support of their neighbours.

"We always ensure that we're trying our hardest to look after our people, on and off Cape Croker. I was quite happy today with the response from the South Bruce [Peninsula] council, I kind of expected that turn out because we do have a good rapport with surrounding councils", says Keeshig.

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