OTTAWA—The Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, congratulated Whitefish River First Nation (WRFN) on the awarding of a contract to construct an elevated water reservoir in the community.
“This investment by the government of Canada supports our shared commitment to improving health and safety on reserve,” said Minister Philpott. “I commend Chief Shining Turtle for his vision and work to make this project happen, which will bolster the community’s access to clean, safe drinking water and its ability to fight fires.”
Ceccetto and Sons Ltd. was awarded the contract through a public tendering process by (WRFN) in Ontario. Once constructed the elevated storage reservoir will serve the community’s long-term drinking water needs and provide sustainable long-term water pressure to improve fire protection to the community’s residents and infrastructure.
“Our elevated storage reservoir will complement our existing community infrastructure,” said Chief Shining Turtle. “Our citizens depend on safe and secure drinking water from source to tap. These are services counted on by most Canadians and the citizens of Whitefish River are no exception.”
The government of Canada is investing $3.5 million toward the project, which includes $345,000 for the design. The reservoir complements the community’s water treatment plant, which began operation in October 2010.
Construction is scheduled to begin immediately and has a target completion date of October 2018.
