Community of Guardians’ Post

Indigenous communities lead local environmental monitoring projects Lynn Smith’s childhood memories are crystal clear. Growing up in Peavine Métis settlement, 56 kilometres north of High Prairie, she and her friends could drink directly from the crisp, clean streams and creeks that criss-crossed the boreal forest. “There was never an issue with it,” she says. Three decades later, the picture has grown murky. “Those same creeks and streams either don't exist or they're smelly or their colour is all wrong,” says Smith, now regional planning coordinator with the Peavine consultation department. Residents stick to tap water, processed by the technician at the local treatment plant. “He’s a miracle worker,” says Smith. Starting in spring 2022, interns from Peavine have travelled to NAIT to analyze soil and water samples for contaminants from sites of concern. Since then, they’ve been followed by four other Métis and First Nations communities that host resource extraction. “We just need to be included – from the conception of a project to putting it to bed, and after,” says Smith. “The reason I say that is because we live here.” www.musqua.ca