One of the things that comes to mind when you think of Canada is its pristine lakes and rivers. Sadly over 80 Canadian reserves are under drinking-water advisories. Prime Minister Trudeau promises that Aboriginal Communities will have safe drinking water by 2021. According to a 2017 Globe and Mail article the government is not even close to fulfilling this promise. Many of the water treatment facilities in First Nation communities are not up to standard and are failing. Poor long term funding, and adequate training of staff also limits the life-span of the facilities that are working. Additionally, because of lack of funding costs are cut when selecting systems and companies to install the systems – leading to problems in the future.
Another interesting fact uncovered by the Globe and Mail is the fact that many First Nation water systems are built to province 180 liters of water per resident per day, while municipal systems in Ontario provide 450 liters per resident per day. As the First Nation population grows these systems will not be able to keep up with demand.
Sources
- Lum, Fred. “Unsafe to drink: Water treatments fail on Canadian reserves, Globe review finds.” The Globe and Mail, 19 June 2017, beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/water-treatment-plants-fail-on-reserves-across-canada-globe-reviewfinds/article34094364/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com&.