The supply of drinking water is increasingly becoming a concern for communities and regions across Canada, and despite its namesake, the Lakeland is no different.
Bonnyville's water issues, especially over the past few years, are well documented and residents as well as local political leaders recognize something has to be done to improve the town's water system.
Recently, Glendon's Mayor Larry Lofstrand said he would be looking into solutions to improve Glendon's water system.
First Nations in the area have also expressed their concerns with accessing clean drinking water.
Even the Mayor of Cold Lake Craig Copeland, whose city sits on the shores of one of the bigger, cleaner bodies of water in the Lakeland, has expressed a desire to diversify the drinking water options in the region, in order to keep Cold Lake plentiful and clean long into the future.
With the common goal of accessing clean drinking water for their respective communities, representatives from the municipalities of Bonnyville, Cold Lake, the MD of Bonnyville and Cold Lake First Nations (CLFN) got together for an informal meeting with representatives from the provincial and federal governments to discuss the possibilities of a regional water plan and what that plan might look like.
The meeting, which was closed to the public, took place at Casino Dene just outside of Cold Lake, on Jan. 8.
“The meeting was created by the group, which are people with the same common concerns about water,” said Copeland, following the meeting. “Everybody needs drinking water. So, the purpose of this meeting was see if there are regional solutions for everybody.”
He said there have been other informal meetings prior to this one involving members of this particular group, however this was the first meeting involving the City of Cold Lake.
“They wanted to hear what Cold Lake's issues and concerns were,” Copeland explained. “One concern we have is that only a certain number of residents can utilize Cold Lake. We've also been asking why the North Saskatchewan River has not been explored as a viable option for the entire region.
“We have concerns about the long-term effects a rapidly growing regional population will have on the lake itself. But if it is shown that Cold Lake is the best option than so be it. These are only preliminary meetings so far and we were just happy to be able to bring our concerns to the group.”
Copeland added, “We're all just seeking to understand each other better and it's a work in progress.”
Other representatives at the meeting said they were happy to work with one another on a regional water solution, but did not go into further details on the meeting.
Bonnyville Mayor Ernie Isley said it was a good meeting and he is looking forward to the next one.
No date has been set for the next regional water meeting.
