Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood (above left) presents gifts to English River First Nation (ERFN) Vice-Chief Jenny Wolverine and Chief Jerry Bernard during a news conference at the ERFN Business Complex April 4 (Gazette photo by Terry Pugh)

A state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant on the English River First Nation (ERFN) Grasswood urban reserve adjacent to Highway 11 south of Saskatoon is expected to spur residential and commercial development in South Corman Park.

The plant and related critical infrastructure services should be fully completed in 2024.

The facility will be operated by a utility company owned by the Des Nedhe Developments, the economic development arm of the ERFN. Under an agreement with the RM of Corman Park signed earlier this year, the Des Nedhe Group utility company will provide wastewater treatment services to the fast-growing southern part of the municipality in addition to the ERFN’s 135-acre urban reserve land. Initial technical operation of the Des Nedhe Developments utility-owned plant will be provided by the Saskatchewan Water Corporation (SaskWater), a crown corporation that will also train local employees to eventually take over operations.

The partnership between Corman Park and ERFN is the first of its kind in Canada, and showcases “reconciliation in action,” according to Des Nedhe Group President and CEO Sean Willy.

Des Nedhe Developments President and CEO Sean Willy speaks at a news conference April 4 (Gazette photo by Terry Pugh)

At a news conference at the ERFN’s Business Complex on Tuesday, April 4, Willy said the unique partnership is aimed at developing the land in a way that is environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial to both parties.

“This is something that our Elders and First Nations leaders have been working on for a couple of decades,” said Willy. “When our community bought this land back in the 1990s, we were able to develop only about 13 acres right along the highway.”

The ERFN was not able to “unlock the potential” of the rest of the property for commercial development until recently.

“There weren’t any wastewater sewage options to the south of the city,” said Willy, adding that septic systems or a sewage lagoon were not suitable. The only solution was a wastewater treatment plant.

The Des Nedhe Developments team outside the new wastewater treatment plant at the English River First Nation Business Complex in Corman Park (Des Nedhe Developments photo)

“So we started construction for our own purposes to add services to our urban reserve land, and we wanted to do it using the most environmentally-friendly technology,” he said. “The RM approached us and said, ‘how do we partner on this?’ because the south side of Corman Park is growing” and it was clear there was potential to expand the system beyond the ERFN property.

He said the partnership is a “win-win” for both the ERFN and Corman Park.

“The facility will allow us to transition away from septic wastewater systems to reduce environmental impacts, and it will also enable us to provide wastewater treatment services to the RM of Corman Park,” said Willy. “That’s expected to bring significant economic benefits to the region.”

He noted that by working in collaboration with the RM, the Des Nedhe wastewater utility company will be able to expand its capacity in anticipation of increased demand. “One of the things we looked at when we built this wastewater treatment facility was how can we add on to it,” he said. “We have the technology that we can scale up or build another plant if its needed.”

Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood said the partnership agreement will strengthen the municipality and the region while also promoting sustainable economic practices.

“South Corman Park is one of our most active development areas,” said Harwood. “By working with the Des Nedhe Developments we’re able to enhance the level of services through this state-of-the-art facility. The partnership between Corman Park and Des Nedhe Developments is a model for future collaboration between municipalities and First Nations across Canada. It shows what true reconciliation looks like.”

She noted the wastewater facility opens up more commercial opportunities in south Corman Park. “It’s not just good news for residential development,” she said. “It’s going to be good for commercial development too.”

The interior of the new ERFN wastewater treatment plant in Corman Park (Des Nehde Developments photo)

Willy said the agreement between the ERFN and Corman Park took about two years to finalize, and wasn’t without its challenges, particularly during the Covid pandemic. But, he added, it was all worth it. The ERFN can now facilitate development of its property by encouraging new office complexes, manufacturing plants and other businesses to provide employment for area residents, including Indigenous people.

He noted that economic self-determination, in the form of creating and diversifying their own sources of revenue, is the path forward for First Nations in Canada. He said the federal government is cutting back funding to First Nations every year, and while the ERFN has investments in the northern resource industry, it wants to diversify into other businesses.

“This is a model for collaboration between municipalities and First Nations across Canada,” he said.”It shows that reconciliation in action is achievable. By working together we can build a stronger, more resilient economy for all our communities. I want to thank the RM of Corman Park elected leaders and administration for their work in building this partnership. Together we can create lasting change.”

The membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment plant itself was constructed at a cost of about $5 million. It has a capacity of 650 cubic meters per day. A total of $27.3 million in financing for the treatment plant, pumping stations, underground pipes, force main along Grasswood Road, and related critical infrastructure required for servicing the ERFN’s 135-acre urban reserve and future residential and commercial development in South Corman Park was supplied through an agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Corman Park Chief Administrative Officer Ken Kolb explained that under the agreement, the RM of Corman Park contributes financially to the project through a a capacity payment.

“The municipality will purchase the capacity of the plant, and that helps them out,” said Kolb. “That’s a financial contribution to the Des Nedhe Developments and its utility corporation; and then what we’ll do is we’ll have developers contribute to that capital cost that the RM has put forward.”

Kolb said since the partnership agreement was first initiated, more developers have been coming forward looking to invest in south Corman Park.

“I suspect that once we get more into this, we’ll probably be looking at another plant, because the capacity of this plant will be used up fairly quickly,” he said. “The RM is also doing an area development plan for South Corman Park, so part of that will be the servicing arrangements, and part of those servicing arrangements will be looking at the growth patterns, and that will drive when the next advancements will occur.”