Canada Finds 'Brain Drain' Solution In Young, Indigenous People

Canada is attacking staffing challenges in the water industry with a pilot program training young, indigenous people to operate water treatment plants.

Nico Suggashie, a 24-year-old, was unemployed when he entered the program.

"I was looking for any job at the time," he said, per Vice News.  "I was unemployed for a while after finishing school, taking any training programs they were offering, and this was one of the first ones, and I'm still going at it."

The program has proved beneficial not just to trainees, but also to a water industry plagued by boil-water advisories.

“In its first year, the program has ended three of four boil water advisories — a big success considering the 131 drinking water advisories on 88 reserves across Canada, some of which have been in place for decades,” the report said.

Canadian authorities installed water treatment plants on First Nations reserves in the late 1990s, but did not invest in training personnel to operate them.

"The problem we have is that the facility built to treat the water can easily treat the water so it's safe, but it's a complex piece of equipment that people weren't properly trained to operate," said Barry Strachan, public works manager for Keewaytinook Okimakanak Northern Chiefs Council, per the report.

The Safe Water Project operates at $385,000 per year, along with equipment costs, according to Vice News. Proper training has prepared Suggashie to prevent water emergencies at his plant.

"You have to be very careful when taking a sample because we could contaminate it ourselves," he said, per the report. "One thing that was taught to me in the training is, a lot of times no sample is better than a bad sample — due to false positives," he said, per the report.

He has watched ratepayers in his service area let go of distrust of the water supply, which used to be over-chlorinated.

"They drink it unboiled now," he said, per the report.

The program could help Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau make good on his pledge to end longstanding boil-water advisories plaguing the country’s aboriginal people. In the service area where the pilot program operated, there were four boil-water advisories when the program began last year.

"Within three months, we had three of those removed," Strachan said, per Vice News.

Before Trudeau assumed office, he said, per CBC News: "We have 93 different communities under 133 different boil-water advisories. A Canadian government led by me will address this as a top priority because it's not right in a country like Canada. This has gone on for far too long."

Backers of the pilot program say it is just the fix Canada needs.

"If they want to solve their drinking water advisory problem in First Nations within five years, they'd better take a really hard look at what we're doing and replicate it elsewhere, as well as continuing to support us," Strachan said.

"Given our success, I think they have a really good chance," he said. "If you replicate it tribal council by tribal council, you can expect similar results."

The U.S. is facing human resources challenges in the water industry, as well. The problem is known as “brain drain.”

"There is a looming crisis facing the water and wastewater industry. Over 79 million 'Baby Boomers' will be reaching retirement age in the next ten to fifteen years," according to a research paper published by the Water Environment Federation.

To read more about water treatment facility workers visit Water Online’s Labor Solutions Center.