Deon Hassler - President

Deon is a certified Level 2 water systems operator. He works for File Hills Qu’Appelle Tribal Council as a Circuit Rider Trainer. He has been a certified water treatment plant operator since 2010. He won the First Nations Water Leadership Award in 2019 and the 2020 Al Reimer Award. The Al Reimer Award was established to acknowledge an operator member of Western Canada Water who has provided distinguished service to the profession through the Association and the Provincial Operators Association. The recipients of the Al Reimer Award have provided faithful and meritorious service in public water and wastewater works.

Ira Aisaican - Vice President

Ira is the supervisor at the water treatment plant on Cowessess First Nation. He is a certified level 2 Water Systems Operator and has been an operator since 2006.

Treena Cottingham

Treena Cottingham is a Nationally Certified Public Health Inspector/Environmental Health Officer with over 20 years of experience in the field. She was previously a Supervisor in the Safe Communities Department in the former Saskatoon Health Region, gaining experience in rural and urban public health. Treena currently holds the position of Environmental Health Advisor at the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, a role she has held for over nine years.

Wesley Daniel

Wesley Daniel lives on the Nekaneet First Nation, where he sits on the council, and his portfolios are operations and maintenance, housing, and education. He is the backup water systems operator. Nekaneet First Nation has two water treatment plants. Wesley is a certified level 1 Water Systems Operator (distribution and wastewater). For pastimes, he likes to fish, camp, hunt, and work with horses.

Melanie Kytwayhat

Melanie is currently a water systems operator at Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation. She has been a water systems operator on- and off-reserve since 2006. She worked as a water quality technician before returning to being an operator. She has Level 1 Water Treatment and Water Distribution certification. She also has a background in Power Engineering with an Alberta Fourth Class ticket and experience working in water treatment for industries.

Leonard Lewko

Leonard was born in British Columbia, grew up in Prince Albert and moved to Saskatoon in 2007. He has an INAC status card from the Westbank First Nation. He is a chemical engineer and worked for Weyerhaeuser in Prince Albert from 1980 to 2006 and Agrium/Nutrien in Vanscoy from 2007 to 2019. He now works small contract jobs for Nutrien at Vanscoy, Cory and Lanigan.

Leonard (and his wife Claire) are active as foster parents with both New Hope Dog Rescue and Size Small Dog Rescue in Saskatoon. He is a past director with the Weyerhaeuser Arctic Club, the Prince Albert Youth Soccer Association (3 years as president), the Coaching Association of Saskatchewan (CAS), and the Saskatchewan Soccer Association (SSA). He is a director with the Saskatoon chapter of MADD and president of the Lakewood Soccer Association (LSA) in Saskatoon. Leonard also coaches soccer for LSA.

James Cappo

James is a band member of Muscowpetung First Nation, this is also where he has been a water treatment plant operator for 19 years. He is a Certified Level 2 Operator. James works at two water treatment plants, his community’s main water treatment plant and the water treatment plant at his community’s school.

He finds the work interesting because he enjoys solving problems and he enjoys the tasks involved in operating a water treatment plant. James enjoys tasks that are chemical or mechanical, and he also takes great pride in knowing that the water is safe for the community. He finds great purpose in his work and this is very satisfying for him.

Reilly A. Checkosis

Reilly is from Little Pine First Nation. He has worked at Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre for over 14 years as the Water Quality Technician II.

He also co-owns and operates an Indigenous-owned company that does business across Canada, called 2 Cool Water Purification Source. The company is based out of Little Pine First Nation and Edmonton, Alberta. Additionally, his family has ranched in their community for many years (both cattle and horses), which keeps them very busy year-round.

Reilly enjoys being a Board Member of The Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, as he enjoys networking with the association’s board members, staff, and members of all the First Nations communities in Saskatchewan.

Bill Ironstand

Bill Ironstand is a member of the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty reserve.

He currently works for Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre as the Emergency Management Coordinator.

Bill has worked as a Water Quality Technician (WQT) for BRT6HC on two separate occasions and helped with the development of the WQT program in its initial stages.

He has spent 10 years in the electrical field and he has built and performed maintenance work on multiple types of water treatment systems and wastewater plants and booster stations.

Bill looks forward to working with the board of the SFNWA, plant operators, community leaders, industry partners, provincial, municipal, and federal funders to further the goals of the SFNWA. Particularly in the area of recruitment, education, and retention of new water plant operators.

Tyrone Starr

Tyrone has been a water treatment plant operator at Lebret, Saskatchewan since 2018. He was asked by his Chief and Council to train and work for his community and he happily obliged. Working as an operator has taught him about how important the water is, not only to his community, but to the planet as a whole. It brings him satisfaction to know that he is helping to bring quality water to all of his family members on his reservation.

Lynne Waskewitch

Lynne Waskewitch is a member of the Little Pine First Nation and currently works as a Level 1 water treatment operator at Little Pine and Poundmaker Cree Nation. Lynne has a degree in Education from the University of Saskatchewan and was a teacher for over 15 years before she changed careers. Lynne began dipping her toes into the water industry during the pandemic as she would accompany her husband to his water treatment plant and eventually began training. From there on, Lynne has strived to be a reliable, passionate operator who has an important role in providing clean drinking water for her family and friends in the communities she works in. Lynne continues to learn as she is pursuing her level 2 water treatment and distribution certification.

Rebecca Zagozewski - Executive Director

Rebecca Zagozewski brings a multidisciplinary background with both undergraduate and Master's degrees in Sociology (University of Saskatchewan), but her primary focus has been research and policy development for First Nations water. Rebecca is an uninvited settler to these lands. Originally born on Robinson-Huron Territory, now known as Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, she has spent most of her life on Treaty 6 territory in both Prince Albert and Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan.

Rebecca facilitated the Healthy Water Working Group (HWWG), a subgroup of the Environmental Health Working Group, under the direction of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN). The HWWG was mandated to develop multiple regulations and standards documents to support the care and control of drinking water and wastewater in Saskatchewan First Nations. Rebecca has assisted with the creation, incorporation and development of the SFNWA since August 2018.

Lisa Bains - Engagement Coordinator

Lisa Bains is an experienced program and event coordinator, proficient in planning large and mid-sized events in both the public and private sectors. She is also a passionate advocate and caregiver for Indigenous children in care. Lisa and her husband are committed to ensuring a safe and nurturing home while children are away from their birth parents. Lisa ensures all the children in her care are raised with an understanding of their culture and language and is an active member of the Wahkohtowin School Community.

Lisa was raised on a beef and grain farm near Blackstrap Lake, where she developed a passion for horses. She continues to ride for pleasure and to connect with nature.

Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan (USask), with a degree in Agriculture Economics. She has also volunteered extensively, serving as a Committee Member for the Royal University Hospital Ball, contributing to the Patient and Family Care Experience Program at the USask College of Medicine, the Habitat for Humanity Fundraising Committee, and the Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital Fundraising Committee and Family Working Group.

Somto Ufondu - Program Coordinator

Somto Ufondu has extensive experience as an educator, business analyst, and IT professional, bringing a unique blend of skills to his roll at SFNWA. He collaborates with the Executive Director, Tribal Councils and First Nations representatives to design continuing education classes for First Nations water systems operators.

Somto's background in curriculum development, research, business analysis and IT allows him to approach his role with a holistic perspective, ensuring that SFNWA's education, training, networking and skills enhancement initiatives are informed by best practices in both technology and education.

In his work, Somto is driven by the SFNWA’s mission of strengthening capacity at the community level for the care and control of water on reserve. As a visible minority, he is acutely aware of the impacts of colonization on First Nations communities and he is committed to supporting them in any way he can. With his passion for education and community development, Somto is excited to make meaningful contributions to SFNWA’s mission and to support Saskatchewan First Nations communities.

Stacey Burgess - Administrative Assistant

Stacey was raised on Treaty 6 territory. He brings experience from a multitude of industries, with a strong background in sales, training, and planning. He has been involved with Sask Volleyball as a player, official, and event organizer for many years. He loves participating in any activity with his young son, golfing, bowling, and reading.  

He is looking forward to contributing in every aspect he possibly can to SFNWA, as water is a foundation of life, and he believes it should be a basic human right for all.

Dr. Robert Patrick - Source Water Protection Planning

Robert (Bob) is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan in the Department of Geography and Planning.

Dr. Lalita Bharadwaj - Toxicological Research and Inquiries

Dr. Bharadwaj is an interdisciplinary toxicologist and community engaged scholar. She has had the opportunity and privilege of working with Indigenous peoples for over 23 years, building respectful research relationships and co-creating solutions in water and health related research areas. She teaches graduate students and conducts primary research in areas of Environmental Health and Toxicology, with a focus on Human Health Risk Assessment, Management, and Communication. She is a practicing toxicologist and applies human and environmental health risk expertise to conduct assessments of residential construction materials, contaminated environmental media, and various scenarios of industrial emissions/contamination. She is a Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench Certified Expert Toxicologist, having served as an expert witness in a number of legal proceedings. She has held research funding from all three Canadian Tri-Council Funding Agencies, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation, and various governmental agencies such as Health Canada, the National First Nations Environmental Contaminants Program, and the First Nations Adapt Program.

On a personal note, Dr. Bharadwaj enjoys everything outdoors and she takes great pleasure in visits with her family in India and Ontario.