Wastewater Treatment Project

FOR RELEASE

VDG260722

July 22, 2026
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROGRESSES WITH SITE SELECTION

Daajing Giids, BC –The Village of Daajing Giids is excited to announce that Mayor and Council have selected Smith Point East as the preferred site for the community's new wastewater treatment plant, marking a major milestone in one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Daajing Giids’ history.

This decision follows years of planning, technical studies, and community engagement. Selecting a preferred site allows the Village to move forward into the next phase of designing a wastewater treatment facility that will serve residents for decades to come and meet federal wastewater treatment requirements.

After evaluating several potential locations, Smith Point East emerged as the preferred location as it provides the best overall balance of affordability, constructability, long-term performance, and community benefit.

Key advantages of the site include:

Minimal wastewater conveyance upgrades and the shortest conveyance route, reducing construction time, complexity and supporting lower long-term operating costs.
The ability to utilize the existing, proven marine outfall location by extending the current outfall, minimizing environmental disturbance and making use of established infrastructure.
The least disruptive to the community and the existing sewer collection system during construction. • No loss of existing housing inventory, as the site can accommodate the new treatment facility without displacing existing homes.
The lowest estimated capital cost of the options considered.
A location outside identified tsunami inundation hazard areas and flood construction levels, providing increased resilience for this critical piece of public infrastructure.

Daajing Giids’ Council are pleased to move the work forward resolving our long-standing discharge of raw effluent into the inlet, not only because of the Federal Order requiring treatment of our waste but because it is the right thing to do. This facility has been needed to complete our collection and conveyancing system for the past 40 years. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this good work including the Skidegate Band Council for allowing their existing facility to be considered in our process. Daajing Giids Council is moving forward with pre-design of Smith Point East to ensure successful completion of this much-needed facility for our municipality.

– Her Worship, Mayor Lisa Pineault

The new wastewater treatment plant is being developed in response to the federal Fisheries Act Order requiring the Village to upgrade its wastewater system by December 31, 2030. While the project represents a significant investment, it is also an investment in the long-term health, sustainability, and resilience of our community and all of Haida Gwaii.

Daajing Giids remains committed to securing additional funding to minimize the financial impact on local users. With the preferred site now selected, work will continue on detailed design, land tenures, environmental studies, regulatory approvals, and ongoing engagement with the Haida Nation, and the community.

Council extends its sincere appreciation to everyone who participated throughout the planning process including our Advisory and Steering Committees. Community feedback has helped to shape this important decision, and the Village looks forward to continuing to share updates as the project advances.

Residents can learn more about the project, view technical reports, and follow future updates below.

Media Inquiries: Mayor Pineault Village of Daajing Giids Phone: (250) 559-4765 Email: office@daajinggiids.ca

From Flush to Finish: Managing Wastewater Together

Daajing Giids is one of the last remaining communities to pump raw sewage into the ocean. Every drop of wastewater that makes its way into our pipes must be treated – this is a requirement of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment. Government regulations aside, our raw sewage is harming the places that make our community special - our shorelines, our beaches and our ocean. It can affect shellfish, fish and other ocean creatures that are important parts of our economy, our culture and our heritage. Almost half a million litres of raw sewage is discharged into Bearskin Bay every day.

The Project

In July 2023, the Village of Daajing Giids was awarded $20 million from the province to build a new wastewater treatment plant. The Village is working on this historic project with Urban Systems. You can learn more about the project by reading the From Flush to Finish Information Sheet Flush to Finish Inofrmation Sheet

The Project Roadmap shows how the project will happen, what the timeline is, and when big decisions will need to be made.

What's the Latest?

Our engineers have been working hard on a lot of analysis over the Winter. The technical team have been looking at all the possible places the new treatment plant could go and have narrowed it down to four options – three possible sites within the Village or connecting to the existing treatment plant in Skidegate. The team worked with the Council of Haida Nation to assess the different outfall options (where treated wastewater can be released into the ocean) for the three possible sites within the Village. They also created technical drawings for each site to show what a treatment plant could look like, visited the existing Skidegate treatment plant to explore that option, and figured out how much each option could cost.

What's Next?

What We Heard

Thank you to everyone who has gotten involved in the Wastewater Treatment Plant project so far. A lot of community members visited one of the pop-up booths over the summer or joined in the Community Town Hall in November. Our community has been learning a lot and asking good questions.

We heard some key themes throughout the different engagement events. Our community cares a lot about the environment, and how the new plant will keep our water clean and safe. Maintaining good relations with our Haida neighbours is also important to us – there is a lot of interest in working with Skidegate Band Council.

We heard a lot of questions about the different treatment types, how much things will cost, and how decisions will be made.
You can read all about the engagement events and the feedback that was collected in the What We Heard Report below. Your feedback will help Mayor and Council make decisions about the new treatment plant

• What We Heard Report (2025)

• What We Heard Report (2026)

Wastewater Treatment Meetings and Public Presentations

Presentation material, recordings and more from townhalls and committee meetings can be found at the links below:

May 25, 2026 - Wastewater Treatment Townhall (video)
May 25, 2026 - Wastewater Treatment Townhall (presentation)

Nov 10, 2025 - Wastewater Treatment Townhall (video)

Nov 10, 2025 - Wastewater Treatment Townhall (presentation)

Dec 16, 2024 - Wastewater Presentation

Decr 16, 2024 - Regular Council Meeting (Urban Systems Update)

Oct 21, 2024 - Regular Council Meeting (Urban Systems Update)

July 2023 - Wastewater Mini Edition

April 5, 2023 - Wastewater Treatment Townhall

April 5, 2023 - Wastewater Townhall Presentation Slides

An Advisory Committee has been set up to support the project. The Advisory Committee will meet regularly to talk about the project, share their interests and help solve problems that pop-up. The Advisory Committee will also help keep the rest of the community up to date. The Advisory Committee’s first meeting was on Monday, May 12, 2025. These meetings are open to public, so you can attend in person or via Zoom.

Please click here for past recordings, agendas, and meeting minutes from the Wastewater Advisory Committee.

A Steering Committee has been set up to supervise the project. The Steering Committee’s job is to make important decisions, make sure things are running smoothly, and make recommendations to Council about the project. The Steering Committee will meet monthly for the duration of the project.

Please click here for past meeting recordings, agendas and minutes from the Wastewater Steering Committee

Want to Learn More?

Check this webpage regularly and look for newsletters in your mail. The Village will keep you updated on the project. Wastewater Treatment is also a standing item on Council meeting agendas (item 17.1). Meetings are open to the public, so you can attend in person or via Zoom. Check www.daajinggiids.ca/council-meetings for details.

WASTEWATER 101

Wastewater (also known as liquid waste or sewage) is all the dirty water that is flushed down the toilet or washed down the drain. Wastewater can contain many different pollutants (harmful, unwanted substances) and waste products, including bathroom products, food scraps, human waste, oils, chemicals, garbage and other things. Wastewater can also include rainwater, groundwater, and snow melt that make their way into sewer pipes – road pollutants can find their way into the sewer system when it rains. You can learn more about wastewater by reading the Wastewater 101 Discussion Guide

Have a Question?

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on FAQ page, or send your question to office@daajinggiids.ca.

The Village will work with Urban Systems to answer all your questions.

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