The Wataynikaneyap Transmission Project will help improve the quality of life in remote First Nation communities while at the same time avoiding the environmental impacts and risks of diesel generation.
In many communities, new housing and businesses cannot connect to the local distribution system and are constrained by the inability to secure reliable power. Families are living in substandard living conditions, besieged by repeated boil water advisories, often resulting from the shutdown of water filtration and sanitation systems during the frequent blackouts that impact the communities on a regular basis.
This has a detrimental impact on daily existence in the communities including impacts to health care, education, safety, and access to the necessities of life. People with chronic illnesses and health conditions are at a serious risk every time one of the communities experiences a blackout.
Diesel generation impacts the air, land, and water. Diesel fuel is currently flown or trucked (via ice roads) to the remote First Nation communities. Diesel generation air pollutants also have a significant impact to community health and local vegetation. In many cases, diesel generators are located in the middle of communities.
Depending on the community, the cost of diesel generation in remote communities is 3-10 times more than the average cost in Ontario.
