A new federal initiative aimed at helping Indigenous communities protect their lands and water is a "win-win for everyone," according to some Northerners. "It benefits the programs and the communities that they serve, but that benefit and that value grows beyond those communities," said Dahti Tsetso, deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, which supports Indigenous Guardian programs across Canada and in the North. Tsetso has also been director of lands and resources for the Dehcho First Nations in Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

A northwestern Ontario First Nation that was under a boil-water advisory for 24 years has received this year's award for building the province's best small drinking water system. The Ontario Public Works Association presented the 2022 Public Works Project of the Year for Small Municipalities and First Nations award to Shoal Lake #40 First Nation, at a ceremony in Mississauga, Ont., Tuesday. The award recognizes the new Shoal Lake #40 water treatment plant as having uniquely provided opportunities for local procurement and employment.