Wastewater Treatment Project

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?

A Community Town Hall event is coming up on May 25, to share the technical team’s findings. At the Town Hall, you can learn more about the four options. The technical team will also submit a report with all their findings to Mayor and Council to help them decide on a site and treatment type. After the Town Hall, Council will make their final decision. Once that decision is made and shared with the community, the technical team will start designing the treatment plant.

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. Your feedback will help Mayor and Council make decisions about the new treatment plant

Wastewater Treatment Meetings and Public Presentations

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will be regularly updated below.

· 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 was established to oversee the project management of the wastewater treatment system. The Committee will make recommendations to Council about the project.
• 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 Advisory Committee represents people and organizations with different interests in the project, including federal and provincial ministries that must approve the permits we need to build the plant, community residents, and business owners.
• The committee will meet regularly to talk about the project, share their interests and help solve problems that pop up.

• The Advisory Committee members are:

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

What is going on?

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.

Why is this important?

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.

Where will the new treatment plant go?

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.

What will it cost?

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.

Lorem

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.