TORONTO, July 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Water First Education & Training Inc. is proud to announce a new water treatment plant operator training program in conjunction with seven First Nations communities and organizations across southern Ontario. The program will see ten Indigenous adults participate in the 15-month Drinking Water Internship Program to pursue valuable provincial certifications, which help trainees begin their careers in the water field.
This Internship marks a new model for Water First: a partnership with many individual First Nations across a broad region. This approach will help support communities who were not able to participate in past Internships, unaffiliated communities, or those seeking to build additional capacity. This move supports Water First’s commitment to help develop these critical projects across the country.
The internship will launch July 24, 2025 with an Introduction Week, and will see the participants study safety, watersheds, water treatment and distribution, water chemistry and sampling.
Chris Wemigwans (left) collects water samples with another graduate during the inaugural Drinking Water Internship Program on Manitoulin Island in 2018.
“As a water operator and graduate of this program, I know the benefits that it brings to a community,” said Chris Wemigwans, a 2018 Water First Graduate and a current Water Operator from Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation. “So it’s full circle for me to know that I’ll now be helping to mentor and support future water operators and help other people in the community start a career in water treatment.”
During the program, each intern will accumulate 1,800 hours of on-the-job experience with Water First trainers, as well as in their home community water and/or wastewater treatment plants, which is a part of the certification process. As part of the program, interns pursue certification as small drinking water and small wastewater operators as well as Class 1 water treatment. Interns also round out their training with additional workshops in water quality analysis, introduction to environmental water sampling, introduction to mapping and Geographic Information Systems, as well as career readiness training.
“We are really happy to see this internship model come together,” said John Millar, Executive Director and Founder of Water First. “It’s a privilege to collaborate with so many communities and community members, and to really ensure that we are able to partner with any community that wants to work with us and address local training needs. We’re excited for the opportunity to meet and train more water operators across the province.”
Water First Graduate working at their local water treatment plant.
These trainings can lead to work in drinking water treatment, wastewater and environmental water careers. The Internship also encourages increased participation of women in the water sciences and offers wrap-around supports to reduce barriers to participation, including childcare services and transportation. Graduates of the program become part of the Water First Alumni Network, with access to continuing career development and education opportunities, as well as an ever-expanding professional network.
Adam Peacock, Senior Manager of Drinking Water Programs at Water First said, “We’re really excited to start working with this new group of interns and seeing how they help shape the program. One of the things we focus on is integrating local Knowledge Keepers and experts into the teaching, which means that our trainers are always getting the benefit of learning new things as well.”
Sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities in Canada continues to be a critical issue. In Canada, 15% of First Nations are affected by a drinking water advisory and that number rises to 19% in Ontario. The challenges are complex and layered. Communities may face issues relating to infrastructure, source water quality, or people to manage water systems – or more than one of these issues at a time. Water First works with Indigenous communities that have identified education and training as part of their solution to the water crisis. Safe water needs skilled people.
Water First Interns, performing an alkalinity titration during the weeklong preparation for the Water Quality Analyst exam.
The Southern Ontario Water First Internship is funded through the generous support of Water First donors and by Indigenous Services Canada and Indigenous Skills and Employment Training. This collaboration will support the training of future water operators and increase local, technical capacity and autonomy in the water management field for today and for generations to come.
The seven communities participating in the Southern Ontario Internship are:
Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation
Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation
Curve Lake First Nation
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte
Nipissing First Nation
Shawanaga First Nation
Walpole Island First Nation
This is Water First’s eighth Drinking Water Internship Program. To date, 65 interns from 40 Indigenous communities have graduated from the Internship program and logged over 161,000 hours working in local water plants and attending workshops.
About Water First Education & Training Inc. (Water First):
Water First is a registered Canadian charity that works alongside Indigenous communities to address water challenges through education, training, and meaningful collaboration. Since 2009, Water First has collaborated with more than 90 Indigenous communities located in the lands now known as Canada while supporting Indigenous youth and young adults to pursue careers in water science. Learn more: www.waterfirst.ngo.
For more information, please contact:
Ami Gopal
Director of Development and Communications
Water First
1-800-970-8467 ext. 106
ami.gopal@waterfirst.ngo
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