Bearspaw First Nation begins $20M water plant rebuild after 2022 fire

Crews broke ground on the Eden Valley water treatment plant on Bearspaw First Nation this week. The old facility was destroyed five years ago.

Shovels are in the ground on the new Eden Valley Water Treatment Plant on Bearspaw First Nation.

A fire destroyed the community’s previous facility in November 2022.

Since the blaze, the community has relied on trucked-in water and a temporary emergency filtration system.

For the leadership and elders of Bearspaw First Nation, the project represents more than just utility infrastructure; it is a restoration of a fundamental right.

“Water is life. It’s probably the most important thing,” said Robert Shotclose, CEO of Bearspaw First Nation.

Elder Claude Lefthand echoed the sentiment, noting the spiritual significance of the resource.

“For me, it means a lot. Water is very sacred to us. It’s a medicine to us,” Lefthand said.

New facility

The project carries a price tag of approximately $20 million.

According to Shotclose, the federal government is contributing $15 million toward the build, with insurance payouts covering the remaining balance.

The new facility, situated by the Highwood River, is designed to be significantly more robust than its predecessor.

Andre Geurts, project manager with Everest Construction, said the upgrade is substantial.

“The new building will be roughly about twice the size,” Geurts said. “And then there will be two other ponds that will be built…so it’s going to be quite an upgrade for Eden Valley.”

The increased capacity will service roughly 100 existing homes while providing the necessary infrastructure for future growth, including a planned gas bar, a new band office, and an expansion of the local healthcare centre.

“With the growth in population and new houses, we will be able to service all of these things without having to worry about where our water is coming from,” Shotclose said.

While the groundbreaking is a milestone for Eden Valley, experts point out that water inequality remains a systemic issue for many Indigenous communities across the country.

“We still face some pretty major challenges in delivering clean, safe drinking water to First Nations. In particular in parts of Ontario and throughout the prairies. We’re struggling with ongoing long-term drinking water advisories, some of those extending past 20, 30 years,” said Kerry Black, associate professor at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering and Canada Research Chair.

Black adds the issue is often overlooked.

“We as Calgarians have easy access to drinking water. First Nations, including those that aren’t that far from the city boundaries, don’t have the same luxury and privilege that we are all afforded to,” Black said.

Efforts to address these gaps at a legislative level have faced setbacks.

Bill C-61, the Safe Water for First Nations Act, was introduced in the House of Commons but died last year, after Parliament was prorogued and an election was triggered.

“We’re failing and we’re still at this moment where we’re failing on the human right to safe water and sanitation,” Black said.

Construction on the Eden Valley plant is expected to continue through the next year, with a scheduled completion date of September 2027.

Once operational, it will restore permanent, reliable access to clean water to the community for the first time in nearly five years.