Six Nations’ state-of-the-art water treatment plant, built in 2013, is starting to show signs of wear.
The problem is, Six Nations, along with other First Nations, is severely underfunded when it comes to operations and maintenance for water and wastewater treatment services.
First Nations Engineering (FNE) is setting out to prove to Indigenous Services Canada that the funding they’re currently providing is sub-par.
Justin Gee, an engineer with the firm, said, “Our water treatment plant is very sophisticated.”
But it’s expensive to run.
“Capital is not the only issue for First Nations across Canada,” he told Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council (SNGREC) last week. “O and M (operations and maintenance) is a huge issue, as well.”
FNE is working on a study with other partners to show Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) the infrastructure funding gap for First Nations.
Gee said ISC asked at a recent meeting if Six Nations had any special projects they had in mind that don’t follow the existing ISC funding formulas and said the main takeaway was a lack of operations and maintenance funding for infrastructure.
“So we decided to a pilot study of First Nations that were operating at a high level but being funded at a low level. We wanted to highlight that gap.”
FNE plans to use data from SNGREC to put together to make a case to ISC for First Nations across Canada to close that gap.
“Across Canada, First Nations are being asked to operate their water and wastewater systems to perform at municipal grade levels without municipal grade funding combined with aging infrastructure, less staff, remoteness, and greater complexity,” said Gee.
Current ISC formulas for First Nations infrastructure funding do not meet the true needs of First Nations services to deliver services, he said.
FNE said they’re seeing early rust-out and facilities on First Nations not reaching their designated lifespan because they didn’t have proper maintenance funding.
“Indian Affairs has never acknowledged that their formulas don’t meet the minimum requirements to make sure that these brand new pieces of infrastructure reach their designed life,” said Craig Baker, of FNE. “It’s nonsensical that you would fund 100 percent capital subsidy for a project and then not make sure there’s sustainable funding to make sure that it reaches its designed life. We’ve got to get 100 percent funding to sustain these pieces of infrastructure that the federal government subsidizes.”
ISC basically told them to prove they’re not getting enough O and M funding.
“That’s the basis of what we’re trying to do here,” said Baker.
He said from his experience working with wastewater treatment plants on First Nations, they’re receiving only about half of the infrastructure funding they should be getting.
“We want to get granular,” said Gee. “We want to get real data.”
Coun. Alaina VanEvery, who was chairing the general council meeting, said, “It’s interesting how everyone can see that everything is underfunded but nobody listens.”
Deb Jonathan, SNGR CEO, said underfunding increases the risk for serious liabilities, especially when it comes to water.
Six Nations Public Works Director Michael Montour said they’ve tried to tell ISC their funding isn’t enough.
“We’re over the 10-year mark,” he said of the water treatment plant. “We’re seeing equipment break down. There’s a big gap (in funding for the water treatment plant). (ISC) basically just said, ‘our formula’s our formula.’ Something needs to change. Our community shouldn’t be paying close to $1 million for clean, potable water for our community.”
FNE sought permission from elected council to share their funding information for their study to bring to ISC.
ISC is the project sponsor and the Anishinabek Nation is one of their partners on the study.
FNE said operations and maintenance includes things like insurance, administration, contracted services, rental equipment, materials and supplies, repairs and maintenance, travel and training, utilities, wages and benefits and replacement costs.
They’re hoping to have the study complete by April 2027 with summarized findings.
Originally published in the Two Row Times, October 21, 2026 (Volume 14, Issue 10), page 4.
