The First Nations Water Crisis

How would you feel if you didn’t have easy access to clean drinking water? Many of us can’t imagine being without such a simple necessity, yet many first nations people are going through just that. Over 140 First Nations suffer from a lack of clean drinking water. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised clean water to all First Nations communities by March of 2021 yet many still turn to alternative sources of water. The work that is being done is slow, insufficient, and seems unlikely to meet the deadline of March 2021. 

The water has sometimes even been found with traces of uranium in it, which causes many problems for people as it cannot be boiled away and some people have even died of cancer due to this contaminated water. Jay Odjick from the First Nation community of Kitigan Zibi states, “Can’t boil away radiation…we don’t drink it but we wash in it. We wash our babies in it.”

A water advisory is a preventive measure that is implemented to protect people from less than sanitary water. There are 40 First Nations communities that have had water advisories for over a decade.The longest standing water advisory of these is the Neskantaga First Nation in northern Ontario which has a “boil water” advisory since 1995! In 2016 the Liberals set aside 1.8 billion dollars to fix the First Nations water crisis. A Parliamentary Budget Officer or PBO said in a report that this amount is nowhere near enough to combat this crucial problem; he estimates the minimum required funding to be 3.2 billion dollars. 

Even though there are many obstacles to overcome, some progress has been made. The First Nations community of Slate Falls, which was under a “boil water” advisory for 14 years finally received a new treatment plant costing 11.6 million dollars. Many other communities just like Slate Falls have also been given new treatment plans for safe, clean and reliable drinking water. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/21/safe-drinking-water-canad_n_15528554.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/topics/health-environment/water-quality-health/drinking-water/advisories-first-nations-south-60.html

https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100034879/1100100034883