{"id":11093,"date":"2021-05-04T14:35:18","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T18:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11093"},"modified":"2021-05-04T14:35:18","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T18:35:18","slug":"the-conversation-first-nations-see-little-progress-on-clean-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/04\/the-conversation-first-nations-see-little-progress-on-clean-water\/","title":{"rendered":"The Conversation: First Nations see little progress on clean water"},"content":{"rendered":"\"shoallake40\"
A no trespassing sign at Shoal Lake in eastern Manitoba, the source of the water supply for Manitoba, the largest city in the province. Photo: Council of Canadians <\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n
Tip of the iceberg: The true state of drinking water advisories in First Nations<\/div>\r\n
Tuesday, May 4, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Kerry Black<\/a> (University of Calgary<\/a><\/div>\r\n
The Conversation<\/div>\r\n
theconversation.com<\/A><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nIndigenous Services Canada has announced it won\u2019t end long-term advisories until 2023 at the earliest<\/a>. In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to ending all long-term drinking water advisories<\/a> by March 2021. When that deadline passed<\/a>, the government recommitted to ending long-term advisories<\/a> without a target date.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nThis 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.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nExamples 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<\/a> since 1995. Semiahmoo First Nation recently had a 16-year boil water advisory lifted<\/a>, 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.

<\/p>\r\n\r\n

\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n Read more:\r\n Water crisis in First Nations communities runs deeper than long-term drinking water advisories<\/a>\r\n <\/strong>\r\n <\/em>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\nInternationally, the right to water is recognized by the United Nations. It entitles everyone, without discrimination, access to safe, sufficient, physically accessible and affordable water<\/a>. In Canada, while our water quality is ranked among the best in the world<\/a>, First Nations across the country struggle to access a safe supply.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why the government\u2019s announcement wasn\u2019t surprising to those of us who have been following this issue for years. The true crisis is much greater than what is conveyed<\/a> in the media, and there\u2019s a lack of awareness about how water is managed in First Nation communities.

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\"shoallake40firstnation\"\r\n

Despite providing the land that supplies water to the largest city in Manitoba, the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation lacks adequate water infrastructure of its own. The band has had to bring in bottled water for more than 18 years. Photo: Council of Canadians<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>

<\/p>\r\n

Small systems not under federal jurisdiction<\/div>\r\n\r\nWhile the federal government is responsible for funding and overseeing water management in First Nations, this does not typically include small systems and individual wells and cisterns. And provincial governments and municipalities have no jurisdiction over water management on reserve.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nIn addition, the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act<\/a> was enacted despite criticism from First Nations<\/a>.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nFirst Nations face disproportionately higher numbers of drinking water advisories, and are subjected to these advisories for longer periods of time than non-Indigenous people. This is due to inadequate and chronic under-funding, regulatory voids and a lack of resources to support water management<\/a>. The number of water-borne diseases in First Nations communities is 26 times higher<\/a> than the national average, and people living on reserve are 90 times more likely to have no access to running water compared to non-Indigenous people in Canada.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nAt any given moment, there are more than 100 drinking water advisories in place for First Nations across Canada, according to the federal government<\/a>, the First Nations Health Authority and Saskatoon Tribal Council. But this figure doesn\u2019t come close to revealing the real crisis. It is merely the tip of the iceberg.

<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe pervasiveness of the drinking water crisis is slowly stifling and oppressing First Nations across Canada.

<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Dozens of Canada\u2019s First Nations lack drinking water: \u2018Unacceptable in a country so rich\u2019 | Canada | The Guardian

"As a consequence of colonial-era laws, Indigenous communities have been barred from funding and managing their own water treatment systems," https:\/\/t.co\/SEOhvt8AGq<\/a><\/p>— G. G. (@ggsimongould_g) May 1, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>