The statutory mandate of the First Nations Advisory Committee on Safe Drinking Water (the “FNAC”) is set out at the end of this Introduction. Here we would like to explain how we see our Mandate and how we hope to fulfill it.

The FNAC intends to assist First Nations to learn about and to use the new remedies provided by the Settlement to obtain actual cost funding for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of water and wastewater infrastructure (the “Funding Request Process”).

In particular, the FNAC will work to find effective ways to communicate to eligible First Nations why the Funding Request Process under the Settlement is fundamentally different from the approach that has been dictated by Indigenous Services Canada (“ISC”) for decades, an approach which has proven to be inadequate.

With this goal in mind the FNAC is focusing on:

1. Educating First Nations how to apply for funding using the new Funding Request Process under the Settlement, for everything from the cost of the initial design or feasibility study, through construction costs, operating costs, maintenance costs, repair costs etc.;
2. Educating ISC regional offices who receive funding requests through the Funding Request Process on why and how the requests are to be reviewed through the lens of the obligations that Canada must meet under the Settlement – e.g. actual cost funding and minimum standards for the quality and quantity of water to be delivered; and,
3. Educating First Nations and ISC regional offices about the Commitment Dispute Resolution Process in the Settlement agreement (the “CDRP”) that they should engage in when a disagreement arises during the Funding Request Process.

What we have done

The first step was to draft common templates to assist and guide First Nations and ISC regional offices on (a) how the Funding Request Process works, and (b) how to trigger the Commitment Dispute Resolution Process when the Funding Request Process breaks down. These templates are key components of the Funding Request Process and CDRP. They are aimed at assisting all parties to abandon the previous unsustainable approach to funding and dispute resolution as soon as possible. You will find copies of these templates on the relevant pages of this website.

The second step was to create this website and to ensure that it is easily accessible by all First Nations. This website is designed:

1. To explain to First Nations what the FNAC is;
2. To set out how the FNAC intends to help First Nations obtain the funding they need for water and wastewater infrastructure; and
3. To be a one stop shop for First Nations to obtain access to the required information, the appropriate instructions, the necessary templates and the related expertise to submit claims through the Funding Request Process for funding relating to all aspects of water and wastewater infrastructure in accordance with the Settlement, and to trigger the CDRP when it is required.

We hope you find this website accomplishes these goals.