Despite a significant federal investment of $4.4 billion aimed at upgrading utilities, dozens of First Nations communities continue to grapple with the necessity of boiling drinking water, reports the Department of Indigenous Services. Blacklock's Reporter says this ongoing issue persists, despite the government's promise to eliminate all long-term tap water advisories three years ago.During a recent testimony at the Senate national finance committee, Paula Hadden-Jokiel, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Department of Indigenous Services, highlighted the persistence of the problem."Currently, there are 28 long-term drinking water advisories remaining in 26 First Nations communities," she informed the committee. "Of the remaining long-term drinking water advisories, all of them have action plans in place."Sen. Rosa Galvez (Que.) raised concerns regarding the breadth of the advisories, noting varying contaminants such as E. coli, cancer precursors, and uranium found at some sites. "Can you tell me more or less the categories of what you are dealing with?" she inquired.In response, Assistant Deputy Hadden-Jokiel explained, "The categories are very broad, many of them relate to the infrastructure capacity and having the sufficient size and operating capacity of a plant to support the size and needs of the community."The government had pledged to ensure safe tap water for all First Nations communities by March 31, 2021, a deadline that was ultimately missed. Former Crown Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller shouldered responsibility for the failure, acknowledging the urgency of addressing the issue. "This needed to be fixed yesterday," Miller asserted. "It should have never happened in the first place."A 2021 audit conducted by the department revealed that billions had been spent on new water plants without ensuring adequate staffing for their operation. The Evaluation Of The Water And Wastewater On-Reserve Program underscored challenges such as high staff turnover, low pay, community remoteness, and a shortage of certified operators.
Despite a significant federal investment of $4.4 billion aimed at upgrading utilities, dozens of First Nations communities continue to grapple with the necessity of boiling drinking water, reports the Department of Indigenous Services. Blacklock's Reporter says this ongoing issue persists, despite the government's promise to eliminate all long-term tap water advisories three years ago.During a recent testimony at the Senate national finance committee, Paula Hadden-Jokiel, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Department of Indigenous Services, highlighted the persistence of the problem."Currently, there are 28 long-term drinking water advisories remaining in 26 First Nations communities," she informed the committee. "Of the remaining long-term drinking water advisories, all of them have action plans in place."Sen. Rosa Galvez (Que.) raised concerns regarding the breadth of the advisories, noting varying contaminants such as E. coli, cancer precursors, and uranium found at some sites. "Can you tell me more or less the categories of what you are dealing with?" she inquired.In response, Assistant Deputy Hadden-Jokiel explained, "The categories are very broad, many of them relate to the infrastructure capacity and having the sufficient size and operating capacity of a plant to support the size and needs of the community."The government had pledged to ensure safe tap water for all First Nations communities by March 31, 2021, a deadline that was ultimately missed. Former Crown Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller shouldered responsibility for the failure, acknowledging the urgency of addressing the issue. "This needed to be fixed yesterday," Miller asserted. "It should have never happened in the first place."A 2021 audit conducted by the department revealed that billions had been spent on new water plants without ensuring adequate staffing for their operation. The Evaluation Of The Water And Wastewater On-Reserve Program underscored challenges such as high staff turnover, low pay, community remoteness, and a shortage of certified operators.
