A Watershed Moment

As most of you know, water is central to my life from when I grew up in Deer Lake, NF to my career as an engineer working in the water profession. As my wife Linda mentioned last week, my experiences as a child roaming the watershed of the Humber River helped form who I am today. The Humber River is the largest River in Newfoundland and has many tributaries that contribute flows to it including Grand Lake, the largest lake in Newfoundland. In a nutshell the watershed that feeds the Humber River is huge. Here in the Musquodoboit Valley, the watershed is also extensive, beginning above Dean and ending at Musquodoboit Harbour with many sub-watersheds like Lays Lake and Dollar Lake feeding it. I have had the pleasure of being close to the beginning of this watershed while exploring Phantom Falls and have fished the lower reaches of the River as well. The River is special to me as I am a canoeist and although I always had access to a canoe growing up, I bought my first canoe when Linda and I moved to the Valley for her first stint as a minister in 1999. I bought a canoe manufactured by Old Town that was named after a river in Maine, the Penobscot. But the name is not just for a river; the river was named after the original inhabitants of the area; a First Nation that traded with the Maliseet and Mi’kmaq who reside in Eastern Canada. Rest assured that these First Nations people understood the significance of a watershed with its waterways as a mode of transportation, an ecosystem for flora and fauna and yes, for drinking water. Like First Nations, those of us who are non-indigenous, also believe that all these things are made possible by the Creator. We are reminded of this from the reading of John where we are told that “with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that was

created received its life from him. The early church understood The Word to be God’s speaking to us in the person of Jesus Christ. The Word is still with us today within the United Church as we participate in the reconciliation process with First Nations to forge a new relationship based on mutual trust and respect. As a matter of record, the United Church of Canada was the first church to offer an apology to First Nations for the negative impacts associated with United Church involvement in the residential school system. The terrible experience of residential school was the opposite of the Word that God speaks, which is a living word of love, grace and kindness. The Word, then is a good starting point for reconciliation.

Now that we know physically what a watershed is, what about a watershed moment? It is defined as a significant milestone with great importance to our lives, either collectively or individually. It is often a time in our lives when we make a dramatic change in response to events around us. Such is the opportunity today as we renew our relationship with First Nations. We saw a watershed moment when the former Conservative government issued an apology to First Nations on our behalf for the wrong doings of the past with a commitment to do better. This continues today with a pledge from the current Liberal government to focus on water systems in First Nation communities which unfortunately continue to lag behind the rest of the country. First Nation peoples really understand the significance of water and want to take a new path to establish water systems to sustain their communities.

Over the last several years, I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with a First Nations agency called the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, APC for short, who have been advocating for a First Nations Water Authority to own and operate all water and wastewater systems in Atlantic Canada. This strategic initiative is at a crossroads where implementation is both possible and pragmatic. Currently 23 of 33 First Nation communities are interested in the formation of a regional Water Authority to be operated by First Nations, for First Nations. As referenced earlier, it was and is quite common for First Nations like the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet to share resources.

As water industry professionals, Halifax Water staff have been engaged in the review of governance and corporate structuring for this Atlantic Water Authority and have benefitted greatly from our interaction with First Nation people. Our First Nation friends have been very patient with us as we attempt to blend western science with indigenous culture and knowledge which in the words of Albert Marshall, a respected Mi’kmaq Elder from Eskasoni, constitutes “Two Eyed Seeing”.

Although many of us who are non-indigenous claim that water is sacred, First Nation culture elevates it to another level. I have learned that water is both object and subject for First Nations and have finally gotten comfortable with the notion that water is alive. As it was explained to me by my Frist Nation friends and colleagues; when paddling through the rapids of a river, the river can swallow you if you don’t pay attention and respect her. Water, which is

called Samquan or Sama’quon in Mi’kmaq and Maliseet language has great cultural and spiritual significance. One of things that really impressed me was their understanding of environmental stewardship which reflects the collective responsibility of First Nations to look after water over a period of seven generations. In the water industry profession that I work in, we often talk about intergenerational equity but it generally covers three generations. First Nations have us by four generations. That is why they understand watershed protection concepts to ensure the source or “living” water is not contaminated or degraded in any way. They also respect the leadership role that women play in the stewardship of water with many workshops that I attended beginning with greetings and sacred prayers from a First Nation woman.

As part of the workshops with First Nation Chiefs, Water Operators, Elders and APC staff, the key aspects of a Water Authority were debated and discussed and although we took great notes, the results of our findings were also captured on story boards…….as the discussion took place. These were very powerful graphics that explained concepts in a very straight forward manner and were embedded in the final reports submitted to APC. I have brought a couple of examples with me today so you can get a sense of the issues that were discussed and debated.

So back to the recognition of a watershed moment in both the literal and figurative sense. If the current federal government are able to establish a new relationship with First Nations, it will likely be centred on water. As such, for First Nation communities to be successful, those of

us who are non-indigenous will all have to get behind any initiative that ensures clean drinking water and sanitation, something most of us take for granted. As we heard from the scripture today, Jesus’ life “gave light to everyone”. In our churches, as followers of Christ and indeed as citizens of this nation called Canada, we are all called to renew relationships with First Nations to live out the Gospel where watershed moments are always possible. Let us pray.

Dear Creator, thank you for Samquan. May it sustain and strengthen our relationship with You and all our relations. Amen.