The logo, three photos, and embedded PDF document below are © 2025 of the Indigenous Water Partnership.
The Need: Why Indigenous Water Infrastructure Solutions Often Fail
Too often, water infrastructure in Indigenous communities is built on a “copy/paste” of the municipal model. Engineers are hired to design systems best suited to municipalities, often located in southern Canada. These designs rarely work in the very different environmental and cultural contexts of First Nations and Inuit communities.
The infrastructure installed by these projects often fails in one way or another and the community ends up under a water advisory. When communities don’t have the in-house technical capacity to defend their interests, they’re vulnerable to subpar, ill-suited solutions. Once infrastructure is in place, it’s hard to fix without even more expensive and complex intervention.
In addition, this infrastructure gap is compounded by inadequate source water protection (SWP), with Indigenous inclusion in watershed-based SWP programs remaining extremely limited. Without the passage of Bill C-61, there are still no enforceable national minimum drinking water standards for First Nations, leaving communities disproportionately exposed to contamination of their home watersheds—long before the water even reaches the tap.
This is what systemic racism looks like in infrastructure, and it’s exactly what the Indigenous Water Partnership exists to address.
The Indigenous Water Partnership Model: Engineering Sovereignty
The Indigenous Water Partnership (IWP) is a nonprofit that works to “support Indigenous Nations’ sovereignty in Canada by providing culturally relevant technical support, ensuring access to safe drinking water and effective sanitation systems, and fostering community ownership of water treatment infrastructure, delivered by a water team led and operated by Indigenous people.”
At the heart of the IWP’s approach is deep listening: “We listen. Then we listen some more. Then we imagine ourselves in their shoes — and we keep listening.”
The IWP is unique because it:
- uplifts Indigenous women’s leadership;
- enables Indigenous-led decision making; and
- acts as the “Owner-Engineer” on the ground, working on behalf of the community.
The IWP defends the interests of Indigenous communities, finding a tailored best-fit solution that will be technically and culturally appropriate over the long term.
For more information on the model, dive into the English and French versions of the primer below:
Meet the Co-Directors
“I am Norine Littlechild Saddleback. My Cree name is kisikaw acakos iskwew, Day Star Woman. I am a mother, grandmother and Knowledge Keeper from Treaty 6 territory. As Co-Director of the IWP, I bring my Indigenous knowledge base, including protocol and ceremony, and decades of experience in rural water and wastewater management, policy and team management, connecting the way we work to millennia-old teachings.”
“My name is Tyler Ball. I’m a mother of three, living with my family on the island of Montreal, known as Tiohtià:ke in Kanien’kéha, and Mooniyang in Anishinaabemowin. We’re fortunate to live in Lachine, with easy access to the St. Lawrence River.
Just across the water in Kahnawake territory, is the St. Lawrence Seaway, which the federal government built in the 1950s and 60s. It disrupted the community’s connection to the water and harmed their way of life. That contrast — my access, Kahnawake’s isolation — is a constant reminder of the need for justice and healing in Canada.
After 20 years in water treatment engineering and project management, I understood that my skills would be best used in service of Indigenous communities, particularly the women. The Indigenous Water Partnership (IWP) was born from this desire.
And it wasn’t until I paused to truly ask the waters for help, and listen for the answer, that Norine Littlechild Saddleback came forward to walk this path with me as Co-Director of the IWP.”
Advocacy and Funding: Navigating a Challenging Structure
While the IWP’s primary focus is on delivering quality water treatment infrastructure, it is critical to recognize the systemic barriers preventing many communities from accessing financing. As seen through the eyes of the IWP’s leaders and many of the Indigenous communities they aim to serve, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) currently funds and manages water infrastructure projects through a bureaucratic maze:
- Each community must apply for funds that are funneled to an individualized First Nations Infrastructure Investment Plan, under the umbrella of ISC’s Capital Facilities and Maintenance Program.
- System operational support often depends on regional “circuit rider” technicians, who work under the umbrella of a variety of different centralized administrators across the country, and who may all interpret priorities differently.
In reality, communities without internal administrative capacity can easily fall through the cracks. The IWP stands in solidarity with all communities through the process to secure funding, stay on track, and advocate for long-term sustainability.
By facilitating an Indigenous-led, collaborative process to implement water treatment infrastructure, the IWP is truly recognizing the human right to water and working for equal access to quality of life for all those who live in Canada.
About Rebekah Kipp
Network Communications Lead, Our Living Waters: mother, freshwater champion, beachcomber, and origami enthusiast
