The Neskantaga First Nation is facing a critical water emergency. They’ve had a boil-water advisory in place since 1995. The community has been dealing with a chronic problem for too long. This has forced them to boil water for all their daily needs into the past 11,035 days. Given the federal government’s failure to deliver on safe drinking water, the situation has persisted, shocking residents and advocates across the country.
The water in Neskantaga was found unpotable almost 30 years ago. Since then, community members have had to use outdoor osmosis stations to fill their water jugs year-round. The government has promptly responded by sending millions of bottles of potable water to meet those immediate needs. These band-aid measures don’t address the root cause of the problem. As community member Gary Quisess observed, “You see water bottles in every community almost that you go to, just strewn everywhere. This only serves to underscore the challenge we face in addressing the waste created by the ceaseless stream of bottled water.
The Neskantaga water treatment plant was given a partial upgrade by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) in 2017. Local leaders have referred to this upgrade as a “band-aid fix,” one that does not fully address their community’s long-term water needs. As community resident Chris Moonias explained, “There’s trauma and mental health that comes with this.” His words certainly highlight the enormous psychological damage that this crisis has taken on the people living in these communities.
Since 2015, Ottawa has poured $4.61 billion into projects related to a broad range of water issues, and seen 147 long-term advisories lifted across the 3,100 plus communities. These combined efforts have not fully tackled the distinct obstacles Neskantaga experiences. In response, the Liberal Party recently introduced the First Nations Clean Water Act. This is wonderful, life-changing legislation. It would enshrine access to safe, clean drinking water as a basic human right for all First Nations.
In 2021, following class-action lawsuits from Neskantaga and other First Nations, the Canadian government settled. In addition, the settlement provided $1.8 billion in relief to affected communities and committed another $6 billion to regional water infrastructure improvements. Despite all of these financial commitments, we are still waiting to see if they will make a difference. In Neskantaga, residents continue to live in conditions that no one should accept.
Isadore Day, former Ontario regional chief and advocate for First Nations rights Cautious optimism when First Nations rights are acknowledged and recognized on the ground. I don’t dispute the fact that I think Justin Trudeau had good intent,” he said. He further stated that Trudeau has a good heart when it comes to reconciliation, and that he’s done alright and fair overall. Unfortunately, he noted that under this goodwill from leadership, communities like Neskantaga are still not experiencing any real outcomes.
The clock is still ticking though, as these residents wait for concrete action to prioritize the provision of safe drinking water. The community is still experiencing significant health and safety hazards due to poisoned water supply. Without complete solutions that do more than just patch the gaps, these risks will only continue.
