Canada Water Agency gives $1M to Mackenzie River protection

The federal Canada Water Agency says it’s investing just over $1 million in “six new projects focused on protecting and restoring the health of the Mackenzie River.”

In a news release, the agency said Aurora College will receive about $200,000 to assess the sensitivity of permafrost lakes to climate shifts, while the Gwich’in Tribal Council will receive a similar sum to study long-term changes in water quality.

McMaster University gets $200,000 to assess water quality in the Peel River headwaters and Wilfrid Laurier University receives $89,000 for knowledge workshops.

Lastly, two organizations – the Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds and Mighty Peace Watershed Alliance Society – collectively receive $372,000 for “state of the watershed” reporting in the Peace-Athabasca region.

The funding comes as critics have called on the federal government to better protect the Mackenzie and its basin from industry in Alberta and other threats.

In a statement, federal environment minister Julie Dabrusin said Ottawa was “supporting the health, food security, and cultural traditions of northern and Indigenous communities.”