WATER NEWS – 12/2

Here’s where Canadian experts stand on fluoridating drinking water

For decades, water fluoridation has played a key role in improving the oral health of North Americans, experts say, but the practice is coming under scrutiny in some communities as opponents gain new prominence in the U.S., pointing to research that cautions about the risks of exposure to the mineral in high doses.

A low level of fluoride has been added to tap water in parts of Canada and the U.S. since the 1940s to help reduce tooth decay and cavities.

It varies by region and municipality – most British Columbia, Newfoundland and Quebec communities, for instance, do not fluoridate water, while the majority of Ontarians live in places where water is fluoridated. (Canadian Press)

Ontario providing $1B in loans for water infrastructure projects

The Ontario government has announced it is investing up to $1 billion in loans to provide municipalities with more financing options for water infrastructure projects that enable the construction of more homes.

According to a release, the new Housing-Enabling Water Infrastructure (HEWI) lending stream, under Infrastructure Ontario’s (IO) Loan Program, will support the construction, expansion and rehabilitation of drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects. IO will begin accepting applications from municipalities on Dec. 2.

The lending stream allows municipalities to take advantage of flexible borrowing terms that allow them to defer interest payments during the construction phase until projects are substantially complete, select longer debenture repayment terms of up to 40 years, choose more flexible repayment terms and incur lower administration costs. (Daily Commercial News)

NT government’s bid to not supply safe drinking water to Indigenous communities is ‘shocking,’ lawyer says

Lawyers for Aboriginal residents of a remote town in the Northern Territory say it is “shocking and disappointing” that the NT government is trying to overturn a landmark court ruling which found it was legally required to provide them safe drinking water.

The challenge is the latest development in a five-year legal stoush between the NT government and residents of Laramba, an Aboriginal community 205km north-west of Alice Springs, who took the government to court over elevated levels of uranium in their drinking water.

In 2023, the NT supreme court ruled in favour of the residents, setting a precedent that could open the door for compensation for similarly affected communities.

Last week, the NT government sought to overturn that decision in the NT court of appeal. (The Guardian)

Rising sea levels threaten Vancouver International Airport with severe flooding, Senate report says

Rising sea levels could prove catastrophic for Vancouver International Airport, according to a new report from the Senate of Canada looking at the risks climate change poses to critical infrastructure across the country.

The committee report released last week, titled Urgent: Building Climate Resilience Across Canada’s Critical Transportation Infrastructure(opens in a new tab), includes four case studies that represent different climate-related challenges: the Chignecto Isthmus between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada’s North, the Great Lakes St. Lawrene Seaway, and Vancouver’s airport and marine port.

Alberta's Ponoka, Camrose counties receiving funds to restore wetlands

The Alberta government is investing $5 million to help support wetland construction and restoration projects, including Ponoka County and Camrose County.

The funds are being provided through the Wetland Replacement Program to help three municipalities and two non-profits construct or restore seven projects affecting more than 165 hectares of wetlands throughout the province.

“Wetlands not only help protect Alberta from the devastating impacts of droughts and floods, but also support healthy, thriving ecosystems all across this province. We have invested more into wetlands than any other government in recent memory," said Rebecca Schulz, minister of Environment and Protected Areas. (Pipestone Flyer)

Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg calls for safe passage for American eels on the Ottawa River

A western Quebec First Nation is urging the provincial and federal governments to protect American eels from dangerous practices at dams in the upper St. Lawrence River watershed that have severely curtailed their population.

Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg (KZA) wants safety improvements to start at the Carillon Generating Station — a dam on the Ottawa River east of Hawkesbury, Ont., near the Ontario-Quebec border — which is in the midst of a refurbishment project.

KZA's band council passed a resolution on Nov. 26 calling on the CAQ government and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to take action there and to give American eels protected status.

"We're losing a little bit of who we are," said former chief Gilbert Whiteduck in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

The American eel, Whiteduck said, is a sacred fish with "spiritual significance for us."

"We want our population, which continues to grow, to also go back to [catching] the eel, to use it as food and medicine ... to remake that connection."

Nicolas Lapointe, senior conservation biologist for freshwater ecology at the Canadian Wildlife Federation, explained that American eels are migratory and that moving between fresh water and salt water is essential for their life cycle.

But dams and other human-made barriers have devastating consequences, he said, noting that dam turbines can kill 20 to 50 per cent of eels that try to migrate past them. (CBC)