Making Communities Water Resilient: Improving Water Infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador

Water insecurity in rural and remote communities in Canada, especially in Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), triggered the interest of hydro-political researcher – Ignatius Yankey – to collaborate with the NL Potable Water Dispensing Unit research team led by Drs. Kelly Vodden and Sondra Eger and look at the importance of water infrastructure in advancing water security in rural, remote, and indigenous communities. Their collaborative efforts resulted in a policy direction/contribution published by Water Canada.

In the issue published by Water Canada, the researchers demonstrated the indispensability of water in every community. According to the researchers, drinking water challenges have consistently plagued rural, remote, and Indigenous communities throughout Canada and opined that the lack of and/or aging infrastructure is one of the top causes of these challenges. They substantiated that “a sustainable potable water supply in Canadian communities is inherently linked to water infrastructure.” They underscored the significance of the installation of potable water dispensing units (PWDU), also known as water kiosks, as a small-scale solution to water insecurity in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. They also called on government and other stakeholders to support arrest potable water difficulties and PWDU-related challenges. Read the full article here from pages 30-31 and the featured work by Water Canada.