Canada is one of the most water-rich countries in the world, however not all Canadians have access to reliable potable drinking water (Galway 1). First Nations communities are disproportionately impacted by unsafe drinking water; they are 90 times more likely to be without safe and reliable drinking water (Thomson et. al. 378; Galway 2). Additionally, the number of water-borne illnesses and infections in First Nations communities is 26 times higher than the national average (Galway 2). This disturbing inequity cannot be viewed in isolation. This problem is compounded by underlying social, political, and economic marginalization of Indigenous peoples (Galway 2), and exists partially as a result of “the legacy of colonialism, forced relocation, residential schools and systemic racism in Canada” (David Suzuki Foundation Report 8). Safe and reliable drinking water for all First Nations communities is a public health and safety issue, as well as an environmental justice issue, across Canada (Galway 8).

 

The province of Ontario illustrates this problem particularly well; as of November 2016, Ontario had the highest number of Drinking Water Advisories (DWAs) in First Nations reserves in Canada (David Suzuki Foundation Report 7). DWAs are issued when a community’s water may be unsafe or is known not to be safe. The three types of drinking water advisories, defined by Health Canada, are: Boil Water Advisory, Do Not Consume, and Do Not Use (Galway 3; David Suzuki Foundation Report 10). Currently, there are no Do Not Use orders in Ontario, therefore we have excluded this category from our maps. The majority of DWAs are Boil Water Advisories (Thomson et. al. 383), these are issued when “the microbiological quality of drinking water is suspected or confirmed to be compromised, meaning disease-causing micro-organisms, such as bacteria, viruses or parasites, could be in the drinking water” (Galway 3). Do Not Consume orders represent a smaller proportion of DWAs and are issued when “contaminants are present that cannot be removed through boiling” (Galway 3). Human Rights Watch states that contaminants in drinking water on First Nations reserves include coliform, Escherichia coli (E. coli), cancer-causing Trihalomethanes, and uranium (9).

 
 
The existing body of research on this issue highlights the social, political, and economic factors that have created this problem. Our project highlights the spatial factors that contribute to the grossly high number of DWAs on First Nations reserves in the Province of Ontario. After years of advocacy by First Nations and social justice organizations, as well as growing media attention and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Justin Trudeau’s liberal government committed to ending all long-term DWAs on First Nations reserves by the year 2021, (David Suzuki Foundation Report 7; Galway 11; Human Rights Watch 4). The David Suzuki Foundation found that, as of February 2017, “the federal government is not on track to fulfill its promise of ending all drinking water advisories in First Nations within the five year commitment” (David Suzuki Foundation Report 26). This project investigates the breadth of this dire problem in the province of Ontario. We present the problem in a spatial context to visualize the proximity of reserves with DWAs to sources of surface freshwater, and census metropolitan areas. Our research is guided by the following questions: Are the most rural reservations more likely to be facing DWAs? Does their proximity to metropolitan areas with proper drinking water quality affect the likelihood of a reserve having longer or more extreme advisories? Are there any issues concerning proximity to sources of freshwater?
 
(See report for bibliography)