ZHIIBAAHAASING—The long journey the Zhiibaahaasing First Nation has been on since the early 1990s to have good clean drinking water that will be readily accessible for residents will become a reality in two years. The community celebrated the Zhiibaahaasing water treatment plant ground breaking ceremony last Friday.
“It’s so heartfelt and has taken long to get here, about 32 years,” stated Bobbisue Kells-Riberdy, band manager and a member of the council. “It is a great day to celebrate having clean drinking water for the community in two years’ time.”
A welcoming and opening prayer was provided by Chief Irene Kells, with elder Gerard Sagassige performing two smudge ceremonies and handing out tobacco.
The clean water project will include the installation of a new below-grade storage reservoir with high-lift distribution and fire pumps, as well drinking water transmission pipes. The storage reservoir will be part of the site which was already designated for the water treatment plant. With the new system, water will be piped into each home in the community.

Funding for the $50 million project has been provided in three different parts, with $2.9 million being provided by Green Streams Infrastructure Canada, and half of the rest of the total construction costs being provided by Emergency Management Planning and Infrastructure Operations and Maintenance.
“It’s a beautiful day,” stated Chief Kells. “When we got up this morning there was no hydro, heat or water in our homes. Those are some of the little things people take for granted. Clean drinking water is one of the most essential things we all need in our lives.”
Chief Kells noted, “when I was small and came here there were wells which provided beautiful water, we thought. So, when we moved back into the community (to establish Zhiibaahaasing) we thought we would have good water.” However, when my husband Bob drilled four holes, in every one of the wells sulphur came out, there was no water.”
“You don’t realize how important clean water is until you don’t have access to it,” said Chief Kells.
The community currently has a company that delivers large water jugs, which are delivered monthly that residents have access to for drinking.
“It is going to be really nice when we have piped water into our homes and we will be able to turn a tap and have clean drinking water,” continued Chief Kells. She pointed out there has been a lot of work and lobbying by council and staff members in the community of various federal ministers and agencies about not having access to clean drinking water in the community that has led to the new water treatment plant to be constructed. “Jonathan Riberdy, who was hired as our water manager, had a big hand in motivating the government and funders for this project,” said Chief Kells. “I don’t know what he said to them, but someone was listening. He has been a big, big help in all of this. People need to realize the hard job he has had. He looks after the community along with a lot of other people that have been part of this.”
“Bobbisue (Kells) became band manager in 2018, which was supposed to be on a temporary basis, but she is inspirational in making sure things get done including doing a lot of work and lobbying toward a new water treatment plant,” continued Chief Kells.
Until 2020, Zhiibaahaasing was managing well enough with a small-scale treatment facility that drew its water from the lake rather than the ground and while there were issues to deal with it was doing its job. However, heavy rains on July 1, 2019, sent the lake (Huron) water levels high enough that the waves eroded the shoreline and began to breach the water plant. With the support of Chief Kells, Mr. Riberdy came up with an emergency fix, hiring private contractor, E. Corbiere and Sons Contracting from M’Chigeeng to build a berm that surrounded the facility. This worked until the next spring when a rapid ice and snow melt drove the water levels up again and water got into the water plant. Then a windstorm damaged the plant shop and an engineer said that the water plant had to be decommissioned, with band council carrying this out.
BI Pure, a British Columbia company that builds standardized water treatment plants inside large shipping containers was brought in. It took six months to prepare and deliver the sea can. In the meantime, the community put together a plan to get water for households and Bright Water Services (based in Southern Ontario) to source water from M’Chigeeng First Nation (with then Chief Linda Debassige support) to trucking it to residents three times a week.
A company now delivers large water jugs to the community on a monthly basis, that can be accessed and used by residents for drinking water.
Deputy Chief Kevin Mossip, who has been on band council for 30 years said, “I can remember when I was a kid coming here and taking water from the wells. I don’t remember anyone getting sick from the water at that time.”
“When we first moved here after my first year of college, I didn’t know we couldn’t drink the water,” said Councillor Mossip. “Most people in Canada take it for granted that they can turn on a tap and get clean drinking water.”
“Even the water we can access currently, no one ever put a sticker on it certifying that it is safe to drink the water. We can use it for bathing and other things but not to drink,” said Councillor Mossip. “The current system is still sub-par. A project for $50 million for a small community is amazing, and it is the lobbying that Jonathan and Bobbisue did that has got us to this point.”
“In two years, we will be able to turn on a tap and be able to get a glass of water,” continued Councillor Mossip. “We want to thank Colliers for being the project lead and Cecchetto and Sons who will be carrying out the construction with sub-contractor E. Corbiere and Sons.”
“I would like to say thank you to everyone for being here today,” said Ms. Kells-Riberdy. “It has been a long journey. Many hours have gone into lobbying for this, hours I left my family and community to attend meetings to lobby for you.” She mentioned examples of federal ministers at meetings refusing to drink water samples she had provided, when she wouldn’t drink the water, because she indicated the water was not safe to drink.
Ms. Kells-Riberdy recalled an Assembly of First Nations meeting in Calgary a few years ago when she was told by a federal minister that Zhiibaahaasing would never have a new water treatment plant because there are not enough people in the community to quantify the costs involved.
“So many people have been involved to make this happen for the community, and we have received a lot of support from many individuals and companies in providing clean drinking water was available in the community,” said Ms. Kells-Riberdy.
Mr. Riberdy acknowledged the new water treatment plant project has been a long time coming to fruition. “I think a lot about the emergency we had on Canada Day in 2019, when it was pretty crazy and I couldn’t get hold of anyone to help, then thought that we needed to get Aaron (Corbiere) here, and he built a berm around the plant.”
“There has been a lot of lobbying by chief and council and staff,” said Mr. Riberdy, noting a $13 million project (prior to COVID) for a new water treatment plant has gone up to close to $50 million. “When we go to the city our kids won’t drink the water out of the tap because they are so used to having their water come out of these water bottles. People take clean water for granted. We are grateful for all the help we have received and for everyone who has been involved in getting us to this point.”
Randy Supersuad of Indigenous Services Canada said, “this is an amazing day, we are thrilled and honoured to be here today. We would like to congratulate the chief, deputy chief, band manager, water plant manager and everyone who has been involved in this project. We are very happy to be here and be part of this very important project.”
Steve Reddin of First Nations Engineering Services Ltd. said, “It is so great that this community is getting the new water system it deserves. Jonathan and Bobbie put in a tremendous amount of work for this, and we are glad to see this is going to take place.”
“It’s an historic day,” stated Mr. Riberdy. “We have been working since 2019 on establishing a new water treatment plant. When the new water treatment plant and distribution system is complete in two years it will be amazing. The residents have never had clean drinking water from the tap. But they will be able to in two years,” said Mr. Riberdy.