Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
With a recent donation in Quebec, Labatt Breweries of Canada has donated more than a million cans of water to support communities with 24 distributions in seven provinces over 11 years. Established in 2012, Labatt's Canadian Disaster Relief Program was created to provide safe drinking water to Canadian communities experiencing disasters such as flooding, forest and wildfires, environmental spills, drought and ice storms that compromised a community's water supply.
The SDWF provides educational tools and tips to schools in Saskatoon and beyond, showing students where drinking water comes from and what can be done to ensure safe drinking water for everyone. Some of their educational tools also reference the psychological, emotional and spiritual harms that can come from not having safe drinking water. Hancock said the work they do is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action 18 and 19, which ask for all forms of government to acknowledge the rights of Indigenous people when it comes to proper health care and close the gaps between First Nations and non-First Nations people in health care outcomes. This includes infant mortality, maternal health, suicide, mental health, addictions, life expectancy, birth rates, infant and child health issues, and chronic diseases.
Two recently-installed public water stations Downtown have been quietly and suddenly disconnected, a move one advocate called a “heartless” decision by the city amid temperatures so hot it prompted a heat warning in Edmonton this past weekend. The City of Edmonton in May announced plans to install up to 20 temporary bottle-filling stations attached to fire hydrants this summer so the public can have access to safe drinking water and avoid dehydration. There were 17 locations with six in or around Downtown as of mid-June. Postmedia visited the six stations previously announced in the city’s core and found two disconnected by Monday — the station next to Bissell Centre West at 96 Street and 105A Avenue, and outside Stanley A. Milner Library at 100 Street and 102 Avenue. Four other stations in the core were still working.
AFN Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse spoke at the United Nations Water Conference recently in New York to highlight the rights of First Nations when it comes to safe drinking water. Woodhouse talked about water governance and the need for intensified action to realize the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation for all indigenous peoples. Some 10,000 participants gathered at UN Headquarters and online from March 22-24 to address the water crisis and “ensure equitable access to water for all.”
Manitoba Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse of the Assembly of First Nations spoke at the United Nations Water Conference in New York, advocating for the rights of First Nations in any action related to water governance. She emphasized the need for intensified action to achieve safe drinking water and sanitation for all Indigenous peoples, which is a fundamental human right.
The third phase of a decades long struggle to bring safe drinking water to Tyenindaga Mohawk Territory is well under way, Chief R. Donald Maracle said. “Currently, we are building the disaster mitigation and adaptation part,” the longtime chief said in an interview. “Infrastructure Canada contributing $30 million, (while) the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte will be putting in approximately $10 million for this project. Phase 3 broke ground on Oct. 3 at the corner of Beach Road and Young Street in Shannonville. The work, being done by Gordon Barr Ltd., encompasses 21 kilometres of watermain and service to 320 residences. “Right now that project is under construction on Beach Road,” Chief Maracle said. “I think they’re almost down to the Beach area now from Shannonville, and they hope to have that completed before Christmas, and then they’ll move along over to the other part of Ridge Road.”
Water and wastewater treatment "Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental of community life," said Joanasie. "As communities grow and regulations change, so do the demands on our existing, aging infrastructure." A total of $31 million is being put toward improvements in water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in seven communities. The project allocations are as follows: $187,000 to design a water treatment plant to replace the current pump house in Arctic Bay. $2,091,000 for the construction of a new water treatment plant in Grise Fiord. $698,000 for construction work to complete upgrades to the water intake in Kugluktuk. $188,000 to begin design of a new water treatment plant in Pond Inlet. $275,000 to proceed with the design of a wastewater treatment plant to adequately treat both piped and trucked wastewater in Resolute Bay. $188,000 to begin design on a new water treatment plant in Sanikiluaq. $450,000 to begin design work on upgrades and new sewage lagoon to treat wastewater in Sanikiluaq.
Safe drinking water? That’s another matter. Too expensive. Too hard to schedule. It’ll take at least 15 years. Meanwhile, over 3,000 central Regina homes are hooked to aging City infrastructure that is leaching lead into their drinking water at alarming rates, as reported in the Leader-Post in 2019 as part of a national investigation. Among a lengthy list of threats, lead is linked to low-weight babies, kidney damage and early onset dementia. Children face lower IQ, learning disabilities, hearing problems and slowed growth. The city has known about the problem at least since 2017, when a random study of 89 central Regina homes recorded some sky-high lead levels.
The Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte – Kenhtè:ke Kanyen’kehá:ka will soon have more reliable safe drinking water at 320 more residences thanks to 21 kilometres of new water main infrastructure. Chief Donald Maracle and the Council of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) hosted a sod-turning ceremony on Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, at the corner of Beach Road and Young Street in Shannonville, marking the beginning of the third phase of the project, which has the long-term goal of contributing to the lifting of five long-term drinking water advisories in the community.
Fifteen communities will receive support for water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste projects through the Provincial Capital Assistance Program, the Province announced today, August 26. “Access to safe drinking water and wastewater treatment are vital for strong, healthy communities,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables and MLA for Cumberland South, on behalf of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, phrases like, “Wash your hands,” and, “Make sure you isolate” became mainstream. But how do you wash your hands if you don’t have clean running water? How do you isolate when living spaces are overcrowded? With both of these tasks becoming impossible during COVID, Faculty of Arts student Jessica Lardeur, under the guidance of Dr. Cora Voyageur, PhD, professor in the Department of Sociology, decided to focus her honour’s thesis on the impact that COVID-19 has had on Indigenous communities and how they have adapted to the situation under ominous conditions. “COVID-19 impacted everyone around the world, but it severely impacted Indigenous communities,” says Lardeur.
Water is life. Don’t mess with it. That’s the message from one Indigenous cultural anthropologist and water researcher: nothing can live without water, yet we’re destroying it at a rapid pace. In 2015, the federal government campaigned to end all long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities by 2020. Two years after that promised date, water advisories are still present in 94 First Nations communities, with Neskantaga First Nation, an Ojibwe community more than 430 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont., surpassing 10,000 days under a boil water advisory this week.
After a record-setting Midwestern rainstorm that damaged thousands of homes and businesses, Stefanie Johnson’s farmhouse in Blandinsville, Illinois, didn’t have safe drinking water for nearly two months. Flood water poured into her well, turning the water a muddy brown and forcing Johnson, her husband and their two young children to use store-bought supplies. Even after sediment cleared, testing found bacteria — including E. coli, which can cause diarrhea. The family boiled water for drinking and cooking. The YMCA was a refuge for showers.
Cheekbone Beauty is using lipgloss to call out lip service paid by federal governments when it comes to providing safe drinking water to Indigenous communities. The fact that reserves, First Nations and Indigenous communities have struggled for access to clean drinking water has been known for years, and fixing the issue has been a focal point of major party platforms in the last three federal elections.
A promise made by the Trudeau Liberal government in 2015 to get rid of all long-term drinking water advisories on First Nations has been strengthened by a class action settlement. “It’s a legal obligation now,” said counsel Harry LaForme of Olthuis Kleer Townshend (OKT). “That whole notion that the water issue is a political issue to do the best they can and is not enforceable by law, for the 250 (First Nations) we have, that’s now changed,” said LaForme. “Their promise, at least to the class members that we have, is now no longer just their goodwill.”
Skilled water and wastewater operators are essential to ensuring long-term access to safe drinking water in First Nations communities. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting First Nations as they implement sustainable solutions that address the need for skilled operators in ways that best suit their communities. Today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, launched a call for proposals for projects that address the retention, recruitment, and availability of water and wastewater operators working on reserve.
A Liberal opposition bill to eliminate well-water testing fees on P.E.I. passed its third reading in the legislature Nov. 4 and could come into effect early next year. Liberal MLA Hal Perry, who introduced the bill, first started working on it in early 2020. "It's about safe drinking water for Islanders who live in rural communities," said Perry.
A drinking water advisory is in place for a northern Ontario community until further notice after an issue with the water distribution system. The Township of Chapleau says residents shouldn’t consume the water coming from the taps in their homes but says safe drinking water is available for collection at the local water treatment plant. In a notice Tuesday, the township said an equipment issue at the plant caused a loss of pressure in the water distribution system that may have compromised the safety of the drinking water.
A planned water treatment plant at Neyaashiinigmiing is now getting $59.8 million in federal funding to provide safe drinking water. Indigenous Services Canada’s website says the Cape Croker Public Water system has had a boil water advisory since January 2019, which became a long-term advisory the following year. Earlier this month, the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation put out a release on its website saying, “Indigenous Services Canada has completed a requested review of the cost estimate for the new water treatment plant and committed significant additional funds for the project.”
The Government of Canada and First Nations communities are working in partnership to build long-term solutions that support sustainable access to safe, clean drinking water and restore trust in the water supply. Today, Indigenous Services Canada provided an update on progress toward clean drinking water in all First Nations communities. As of July 6, 2021, 32 First Nations communities across Canada are working to resolve long-term drinking water advisories. In total, First Nations communities have lifted 108 long-term drinking water advisories restoring reliable access to safe drinking water for 6350 homes and 467 buildings in 79 communities since November 2015.
