Client
Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation
Location
Birch River, Manitoba

Building a new community

Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation (WSFN) is a Swampy Cree First Nation located northeast of Birch River, Manitoba, along the western shores of Swan Lake and approximately 554 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg. The First Nation recently completed a significant move to a highway-accessible location within its territory to ensure more convenient travel for all community members. As part of this transition, WSFN invested in developing three key pieces of infrastructure – a school, a water treatment plant and a wastewater lagoon – to support the growing needs of the community in the new location.

The Chief Charles Audy Memorial School is a new K-8 school located in the heart of the community. The school’s exterior design draws inspiration from surrounding birch trees, enabling the building to stand in harmony with the natural environment. Classrooms feature Indigenous constellation charts, art with the Seven Sacred Teachings and other culturally significant learning tools. The school’s library includes many books by Indigenous authors. Other amenities on the site include two teacher apartments, a gym, a basketball court, a playground and a sports field. The school has been thoughtfully designed both for learning and as a gathering place for community celebrations and events.

In addition to the need for the new school to support WSFN’s growing population, the community was dealing with aging water infrastructure. WSFN’s original water treatment plant couldn’t provide high quality water or meet the service demands of the newly expanded community – resulting in a boil water advisory. WSFN sought out new water infrastructure to improve the water and service quality in the community for the next 20 years. The opening of the water treatment plant enabled WSFN to lift the boil water advisory, marking an important milestone for the Nation. The water treatment plant has a brick exterior – an attractive feature that makes it a notable community landmark.

The new lagoon plays an important role in WSFN’s water treatment infrastructure. Completed in 2024, the lagoon helps the community manage its wastewater, eliminating the need for external collection and disposal. The lagoon uses a Submerged Aerated Gravel Reactor (SAGR) system, which is especially efficient in cold-climate wastewater treatment and essential for Manitoba winters.

 

Quick Facts

Chief Charles Audy Memorial School incorporates Indigenous teachings into its learning environments, including Indigenous constellation charts, the Seven Sacred Teachings and books written by Indigenous authors.

Developing the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation water treatment plant enabled the community to lift a long-term boil water advisory. The plant will support growth in the community for the next 20 years.

The new wastewater lagoon uses a Submerged Aerated Gravel Reactor system to ensure optimal performance in Manitoba’s cold-weather climate.

 

Community-led solutions

Our team provided comprehensive project management services for all three infrastructure projects, working with WSFN during the design, construction and closeout phases. Community involvement was an important part of each project’s delivery, and the project team prioritized partnering with local workers whenever possible – a key pillar of our commitment to working with Indigenous communities.

Each project had unique requirements and challenges. It was important to the community to incorporate local culture into the Chief Charles Audy Memorial School’s design. Our team worked with the architect and WSFN to ensure the building met the community’s cultural and programming requirements. One of the biggest challenges during the school’s construction was the onset of the pandemic. Our team worked with WSFN and the project team to implement and follow safety procedures throughout construction and closeout.

We helped WSFN select the best location for its lagoon and SAGR system. We studied five different sites and provided information to WSFN so it could make a final decision based on established criteria.

During closeout of the water treatment plant and lagoon, our advisors worked with WSFN to develop a maintenance strategy. This included writing operations and maintenance manuals, as well as providing comprehensive training for Wuskwi Sipihk staff.

Each of these infrastructure upgrades advance the health and wellbeing of WSFN members and will support the Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation’s development goals over the next 20 years.

Collaboratively drafting blueprints