Wastewater Treatment & Sewer Services
Daajing Giids Wastewater Treatment Project
From Flush to Finish: Managing Wastewater Together
We are 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 have effects on 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. Together, we can protect our natural environment and public health by collecting and treating our wastewater responsibly. We all contribute to our raw sewage problem every time we flush. Let’s manage our wastewater together to protect our health and the waters we love.
The Village of Daajing Giids is working with Urban Systems to build a new wastewater treatment plant. We were given $20 million from the province to plan and build the new plant. This will be the largest project in our community for years to come, it’s a big deal!
Beyond the Flush: How We’re Keeping Our Water Clean
This Project Roadmap shows how the project will happen, what the timeline will be, and when big decisions will need to be made. This information was presented to Council on Monday, December 16, 2024.
Please Click Here for Daajing Giids Wastewater Treatment Plan Project Roadmap: https://daajinggiids.civicweb.net/document/27115
Community Engagement
Want to learn more about the wastewater treatment plant project? Get involved! We have different opportunities coming up this year.
Pop-ups
Come visit one of our pop-up information booths. Village staff will have information about the project on display and will be available to chat and answer your questions.
· Farmers market: Saturdays to be Determined
· Hospital Day: Saturday, June 28, 2025
Townhall
We will be hosting a community Town Hall in the fall, to share more information about the project, collect your feedback, and answer your questions. Check back here for more details closer to the time!
Have a Question?
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab on this page or send your question to office@daajinggiids.ca. The Village will work with Urban Systems to answer all your questions.
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. The Village will keep you updated on the project.
Wastewater Treatment Steering & Advisory Committees
The Village of Daajing Giids and Urban Systems are making good progress on the new wastewater treatment plant project. Since the project started in January, the Urban team have been doing a lot of background research and mapping, to help figure out how big the new wastewater treatment plant will need to be and where it could go. The Urban team will be back in the community later this spring to do more fieldwork. If you see them out and about, feel free to say hello!
Steering 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.
Meet the Steering Committee:
· Mayor Lisa Pineault
· Councillor Jim Lemottee
· Chief Administrative Officer
*
· Superintendent of Public Works, Ben Greenough
· Chief Financial Officer, Bob Madore will be a special advisor to the Committee.
* Note: Ben Greenough is Acting CAO until the position is filled
The Steering Committee had their first meeting on April 15th, 2025. They will keep meeting every month as the project continues. Minutes from the meeting may be found https://daajinggiids.civicweb.net/Portal/.
Advisory Committee
Thank you to everyone who wrote to us saying they were interested in being part of the Advisory Committee. We received a lot of great submissions. The Advisory Committee will meet regularly to talk about the project, share their interests and help solve problems that pop up. The committee will also help keep the rest of the community up to date.
Meet the Advisory Committee:
· Councillor Alanah Mountifield
· Councillor Ayla Pearson
· Chief Administrative Officer
*
· Superintendent of Public Works, Ben Greenough
· Mike Hennigan
· Christine Martynuik
· Carolyn Gibson
· Marilyn Briere-Deschenes
· Clyde Greenough
· David Kroeker
· Lori Wiedeman
· Debbie Pearson
· Mark Goetzinger
· Council of Haida Nation representative
· Skidegate Band Council representative
· Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship representative
· Department of Fisheries and Oceans representative
· Ministry of Environment and Parks representative
· Chief Financial Officer, Bob Madore will be a special advisor to the Committee.
* Note: Ben Greenough is Acting CAO until the position is filled
The Advisory Committee’s first meeting was on Monday, May 12th, 2025. Want to listen to the recording? These meetings are open to the public, checkhttps://daajinggiids.civicweb.net/Portal/ for details.
Wastewater Treatment is 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. The Village will keep you updated on the project.
Have a Question?
Send your question to office@daajinggiids.ca. The Village will work with Urban Systems to answer all your questions. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are posted on the Village webpage.
Read the Wastewater Steering Committee Terms of Reference
Have a Question?
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab on this page, or send your question to office@daajinggiids.ca. The Village will work with Urban Systems to answer all your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) will be regularly updated and posted to the project
webpage.
- The Village of Daajing Giids is getting a new wastewater treatment plant.
- The new plant will be the largest project in our community for years to come – it’s a big deal!
- We are one of the last remaining communities to pump raw sewage into the ocean. This project is an exciting opportunity to better protect our environment and island home.
- The new plant will help keep the environment healthy and support our community.
- Every
drop of wastewater that goes through our pipes to the ocean must be treated –
this is a requirement of the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environment.
- Almost
half a million litres of raw sewage is discharged into Bearskin Bay every day.
- Raw
sewage can harm the places that make our community special - our shorelines,
our beaches and our ocean. It can have effects on shellfish, fish and other
ocean creatures that are important parts of our economy, our culture and our
heritage.
- The
new plant will ensure wastewater is treated before it makes it into the ocean,
meaning less harm to our environment, and safer water for us all to enjoy.
·
There
are a lot of places where the new wastewater treatment plant could go.
·
It
is too early to say where the wastewater treatment plant will go. The site and
treatment selection process will take at least six months (maybe 18 months) to
complete.
·
There
are also a lot of things the project team needs to think about when deciding the
best place - things like site size, road access, environmental and soil
conditions and more.
·
A
lot of people and organizations are interested in the wastewater treatment plant
project. The project team will consider these interests as well as their
technical work when choosing a location for the new wastewater treatment plant.
· The
Province has made a $20 million investment in our community. Daajing Giids
received government grants to cover the cost of planning and building a new
wastewater treatment plant which is a good start for us. This funding includes
$1.3 million from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Fund.
· Efforts
will be made to find a solution that is affordable for the community based on
the grant funding available.
· Once
built, the cost of running the wastewater treatment plant will be our
responsibility.
· We
all benefit from treating our raw sewage and will share the cost of maintaining
our new system through user fees.
· It
is too early to say what the user fees may be. The cost of running and
maintaining the plant will depend on the site and treatment process selected.
· This
community investment is essential for our long-term health and well-being.
·
Once
built, the cost of running the wastewater treatment plant will be our
responsibility.
·
We
all benefit from treating our raw sewage and will share the cost of maintaining
our new system through user fees.
·
The
new wastewater treatment plant is an exciting opportunity to better protect our
environment and island home. This project will make our ocean cleaner, our
beaches safer and our environment healthier.
·
This
project will allow us to plan better for our future and manage growth and
development wisely.
·
This
will be a big construction project that could take more than a year to complete
once started.
· Check
the Village webpage and look for newsletters in your mail. The Village will
keep you updated on the project as it progresses.
· If
you have any questions, you can send them to office@daajinggiids.ca and the Village will do their best to answer. This FAQ page will also
be updated regularly.
· Wastewater
Treatment is also a standing item at Council meetings (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.
- • Visit one of our pop-up information booths this summer! Village staff will have information available at different community events:
Farmers market: Saturdays
Hospital Day: Saturday, June 28, 2025
• Attend the Town Hall later this year. There will be more information about the project, opportunities for input, and staff available to chat with.
• Check the Village webpage and look for a postcard in your mail this fall. The Village will keep you updated on details of the Town Hall.
• The Steering Committee will meet monthly to drive the project forward, allocate resources, set priorities, and solve problems as they arise. They are accountable for the success of the project.
• The Steering Committee members are Mayor Lisa Pineault, Councillor Jim Lemottee, the Chief Administrative Officer (TBD) and Superintendent of Public Works Ben Greenough.
• Chief Financial Officer Bob Madore will be a special advisor to the Committee
• The committee will meet regularly to talk about the project, share their interests and help solve problems that pop up.
- Councillor Alanah Mountifield
- Councillor Ayla Pearson
- o Chief Administrative Officer (TBD)
- o Superintendent of Public Works, Ben Greenough
- o Mike Hennigan
- o Christine Martynuik
- o Carolyn Gibson
- o Marilyn Briere-Deschenes
- o Clyde Greenough
- o David Kroeker
- o Lori Wiedeman
- o Debbie Pearson
- o Mark Goetzinger
- o Council of Haida Nation representative
- o Skidegate Band Council representative
- o Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship representative
- o Department of Fisheries and Oceans representative
- o Ministry of Environment and Parks representative
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. The Village will keep you updated on the project.