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..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
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..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
