Dawn Martin-Hill, Paul R. MacPherson Chair in Indigenous Studies at McMaster University and GWF Principal Investigator, recently spoke to Out in the Open's Piya Chattopadhyay about the water problems and related health issues affecting her home community, Six Nations, in southern Ontario.
CBC Article: Why so few people on Six Nations reserve have clean running water, unlike their neighbours
GWF-funded projects aim to address Indigenous water quality issues
Co-Creation of Indigenous Water Quality Tools
Martin-Hill leads the GWF-funded project Co-Creation of Indigenous Water Quality Tools which works with two distinct communities, Six Nations and Lubicon Cree Nation, to monitor sources waters and investigate ecosystem health and cause of health issues related to contaminated water. The project will include the co-creation of sensors, data analysis and culturally relevant tools to build long-term and sustained community capacity to address current and future uncertainties in water quality.
Sensors and Sensing Systems for Water Quality Monitoring
Ravi Selvaganapathy, Canada Research Chair in Biomicrofluidics and Professor at McMaster University, is leading the GWF-funded project Sensors and Sensing Systems for Water Quality Monitoring which aims to develop low-cost sensors and sensing systems for long-term water quality monitoring and detection of pathogens, heavy metals, oxidants and nutrients. Selvaganapathy's project will work closely with end users and other GWF-funded projects (such as Martin-Hill's project).
Indigenous Communities Water Research Strategy
GWF is committed to addressing the issues related to source water quality Indigenous communities face across Canada through their Indigenous Communities Water Research Strategy. GWF recently held a workshop on Co-Developing a Strategy for Indigenous Community Water Research at Wanuskewin Heritage Park where representatives from 23 First Nation communities met with GWF researchers to co-create projects, proposals and a review process for funding. The funded projects will be announced in Fall 2018.