Winnipeg Free Press By: Kerry Black
Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in 2015 that long-term boil-water advisories on First Nations would be eliminated by March 2021; Indigenous Services Canada now says the earliest it could happen is 2023.
Indigenous Services Canada has announced it won’t end long-term advisories until 2023 at the earliest. In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to ending all long-term drinking water advisories by March 2021. When that deadline passed, the government recommitted to ending long-term advisories without a target date.
Opinion
This announcement comes as no surprise to many First Nations outraged by the lack of progress on ending drinking water advisories in their communities, and the growing divide and gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
This announcement comes as no surprise to many First Nations outraged by the lack of progress on ending drinking water advisories in their communities, and the growing divide and gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
Examples of First Nations across Canada enduring persistent drinking water issues are endless. Neskantaga First Nation in Northern Ontario has been on a long-term boil water advisory since 1995. Semiahmoo First Nation recently had a 16-year boil water advisory lifted, after connecting to the nearby Metro Vancouver water line through the city of Surrey, B.C. The community is only a five-minute drive from the city of White Rock.
Winnipeg Free Press By: Joseph Quesnel Save to Read Later
CANADA and its Indigenous communities should finally commit this year to making the systemic reforms needed to ensure First Nations drinking water standards are the same as the rest of the country.
Opinion
CANADA and its Indigenous communities should finally commit this year to making the systemic reforms needed to ensure First Nations drinking water standards are the same as the rest of the country.
For starters, Indigenous communities ought to experiment with more regional water authority agreements to deliver safe drinking water.
In late 2020, Indigenous Services Canada signed agreements with Atlantic First Nations communities to create a utility to oversee drinking water and wastewater systems for 15 Indigenous communities across the region. This includes a financial commitment for staff training and capacity building.
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Francesca Fionda 23 Feb 2021 | The Tyee / Institute for Investigative Journalism
Francesca Fionda is a freelance investigative and data journalist, and journalism instructor. SHARES Safe or not? Tests done in 2017 by the First Nations Health Authority in 261 sites on reserves across BC showed unsafe lead levels in water for 35 schools. BC’s health minister was told, but what’s happened since is not publicly shared.
Photo via Shutterstock.
When Trever Andrew found out there was a small amount of lead leaching into the tap water in the girl’s washroom at T selcéwtqen Clleq mel ten/Chief Atahm School, he knew it was important to act fast. There is no safe level of lead exposure and children are particularly vulnerable. In adults, lead exposure increases the risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage. In children, lead can affect the development of the brain and