Grant: Project Grant

Water safety and security is a challenge for Indigenous communities. Building on previous local activities and collaborative work together, we have identified research of interest for the participating northern communities. The goal of the proposed research is to improve knowledge mobilization related to water and to promote the safe consumption of drinking water by better understanding the facilitators and the barriers in the Sahtú communities of the NWT, with the aim to improve water governance. The specific research aims are to set actions for the Promotion, Perception, Consumption, Monitoring and Knowledge of drinking water. Our objectives are to: a)Improve knowledge about water and drinking water in the region to help rebuild trust of water by developing and promoting communication material (i.e., health and water, water quality, water governance, tap water best practices), which will also facilitate the interest in its governance. b)Gather traditional knowledge (TK) and assess its impacts on water practices and document how TK is beneficial to the water and health promotion and safe drinking water On-The-Land. c)Conduct and assess a pilot project to implement household potable tap water filters to improve the taste and odour of tap water with the aim to respect the preference of the population and remove barriers to tap water consumption. d)Increase the capacity for water monitoring in the region via an On-The-Land workshop and monitoring initiative. e)Co-create, validate, and evaluate a new Water Quality Index to facilitate the communication of the drinking water parameters to community members. Safe drinking water in First Nations is a must. It is also essential to engage with communities to decrease inequities, and develop greater capacities for its governance. It is important to design effective public health strategies by understanding the perception of the issue, and improve the safe consumption of water in northern Canada.