More than one third of First Nations residents living on-reserve say their tap water is unsafe, and many rely on bottled water even for brushing their teeth, according to a new federal report.
Blackock's Reporter says the findings underscore the federal government's ongoing failure to meet its 2021 deadline to end all boil water advisories in First Nations communities.
A report commissioned by Indigenous Services Canada found 33% of on-reserve First Nations people consider their drinking water either somewhat or very unsafe.
The same study showed that 38% use bottled water to brush their teeth, while 57% use it to make coffee and 53% to prepare meals. Researchers surveyed 1,013 people to assess perceptions of water quality, with results showing growing distrust in tap water compared to five years ago.
“One in five judge the water to be less safe to drink than it was five years ago,” said the report, Perceptions Of Drinking Water Quality In First Nations Communities And General Population, produced by Ekos Research Associates for $141,967.
When asked to rate the quality of their drinking water, 32% of respondents described it as “bad,” up from 21% in 2018.
The findings come in stark contrast to the government’s 2016 pledge to eliminate all long-term boil water advisories in First Nations communities within five years, backed by $3.6 billion in funding. As of 2024, that goal remains unmet.
“We work with First Nations people every single day,” Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu told the Commons on June 17, 2024.
“Ninety-six percent of First Nations now live in communities with access to clean water and we will not rest until it is done.”
However, a report to the Senate national finance committee the same year listed 28 communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador still under long-term boil water advisories.
At least 19 of those were expected to remain in place into 2026 or later.
Neskantaga First Nation in Ontario has been under an advisory since 1995, with no end in sight. Another advisory at Eabametoong First Nation has lasted 23 years.
Paula Hadden-Jokiel, assistant deputy minister at Indigenous Services Canada, told senators that the department uses a different standard from municipalities when it comes to defining water advisories.
“Short term drinking water advisories are in duration of less than 12 months,” she said.
“Did you say a boil water advisory of less than 12 months — 11 months and two weeks, for example — is considered a short term advisory?” asked Sen. Claude Carignan of Quebec.
“Yes,” replied Hadden-Jokiel.
“That’s a far cry from the situation in municipalities,” said Carignan, a former mayor. “A short term advisory in a municipality is about 10 hours. I understand we can simply spend time redefining terms.”