Greater cooperation needed to protect our river
By Meredith Brown, Riverkeeper - Friday, September 24, 2010
Community leaders gather to discuss the health and future of the Ottawa River and agree, greater cooperation is needed to protect this great resource.
Recap: Ottawa River Summit 2010
The Ottawa River flows through many diverse communities (including Canada’s capital) and connects everyone who lives within its boundaries. This remarkable and vast watershed is more than twice the size of New Brunswick! On August 27th, Ottawa Riverkeeper brought our community leaders together for a thought-provoking meeting. Together, we shared information, experiences and success stories, and addressed the confusing jurisdictional issues that exist throughout the Ottawa River Watershed. The driving force behind the first ever Ottawa River Summit was the pressing need to take collective action and assume a shared responsibility for the long-term protection of our globally significant river.
The historic Summit day began on the banks of the Ottawa River, beside the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. Elder Peter Decontie, Fire Keeper of the Anishinabe Algonquin and Verna McGregor travelled from Maniwaki to perform an opening blessing that included smudging, an Algonquin prayer and a water blessing. Verna reminded us that the river is the lifeblood of our communities and can be compared to the arteries and veins that run through each of us. She went on to tell us that we are poisoning our rivers – our arteries – and we must act now to protect our heritage and ourselves. The smudging left us with clear minds to go inside and begin our work for the day: developing a community of shared awareness and understanding around the health and future of the Ottawa River and its tributaries.
Our goal for the day ahead was clear. We must ask these bright and experienced delegates how to get commitment and collective action from all the people, communities and governments that influence the health of the Ottawa River.
Once inside, the day began with poignant addresses from two Algonquin Chiefs: Kirby Whiteduck (Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn) and Gilbert Whiteduck (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg) who welcomed everyone to their traditional territory. Chief Kirby reminded us that when the Algonquin people first invited Champlain to Morris Island in the Kitchisippi River, Champlain wrote in his journal that he drank fine, clear water from the river; something few people dare to do today. Both Chiefs emphasized that the Algonquin people have intimate knowledge about the land and rivers that we can all learn from. The Algonquin people are seeking co-management responsibilities in their territories and would like to change the way we manage water today.
The level of participation exceeded our expectations for the first ever Ottawa River Summit; the room was bursting with well over 100 participants and numerous media present. There were 25 municipalities represented (many represented by mayors), 6 First Nation Chiefs, including the Grand Chief of the Algonquin First Nation, six watershed councils from Quebec, three conservation authorities from Ontario as well as key agency players from the federal government and the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. We were also graced by the presence of Elder William Commanda, a most senior representative of the Algonquins of the Ottawa River Watershed, who is internationally known for his work in promoting interracial and multicultural harmony, justice and respect for the earth. Commanda’s lifetime achievements and awards are extraordinary and in 2008 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
We heard compelling presentations from experts in their field and investigated two regional models of collaboration: The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative and the St. Lawrence Action Plan. Our federal government is funding research and collaboration for both of these initiatives, yet the Ottawa River seems to have “fallen through the cracks” and is yet to be a priority for our federal government even though every federal politician in Canada drinks the water from the Ottawa River.
Municipalities were invited to share projects that will have a positive influence on the health of the Ottawa River and its tributaries. The mayor of Mississippi Mills shared his town’s experience with septage (what I have referred to in the past as “the forgotten waste”) and pleaded with everyone in the room to take due diligence to treat this waste properly. A reminder of the complex jurisdictional issues faced in the watershed, his region sees septage haulers coming from Quebec and from the rural areas of the City of Ottawa – all because these municipalities and/or provinces do not allow untreated septage to be land applied (so they unethically spread it elsewhere). Other municipalities that presented projects and shared experiences were the Town of Hawkesbury, the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau and the municipality of Chelsea. The purpose of project sharing was to share knowledge and lessons learned, but also to encourage other municipal leaders to share the responsibility and make investments to protect our river.
Delegates participated in facilitated table discussions and were invited to the microphones to speak to the challenges they are facing and the tools and resources they require to better protect their community’s water assets.
Key messages that came from the participants were:
1. We need to change how we value and manage water.
2. We all share the responsibility to protect our water assets.
3. We need a “body” to bring jurisdictions together and be a central repository for information and knowledge.
4. The public has a right to know about plans, projects or operations that may impact their lakes and rivers. We must respect and listen to First Nations and others who have valuable information and knowledge to share.
It was an incredible day of learning for me. From participants I learned of projects and practices in their regions that concern me. There is work to do. I was gratified to receive handshakes and messages of thanks and congratulations from participants. Organizing the Ottawa River Summit was a lot of work for the staff and volunteers at Ottawa Riverkeeper and we left feeling hopeful and energized.
Sincerely,
Meredith Brown
Riverkeeper
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