Saskatchewan reserve to get clean water.
REGINA — Plans are underway to get a Saskatchewan First Nation clean water after more than five years under a drinking water advisory, and to meet a pledge to end such advisories on all reserves.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett announced $9.2 million to replace the water treatment system on the White Bear First Nation, southeast of Regina.
"I think everyone here will acknowledge it’s been a long time coming and for far too long people in your community have not had access to potable water on reserve," Bennett said Tuesday in Regina, where the Assembly of First Nations was holding its annual meeting.
"You should still have the same right as those of us in downtown Toronto to be able to turn on the tap and drink the water and bathe your babies safely — things that most Canadians take totally for granted."
More than 800 residents on the reserve southeast of Regina haven’t been able to drink their water since 2011.
The project is expected to be complete by December 2018.
The announcement is part of the federal government’s commitment to end long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserves by 2021.
During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau pointed to 93 different communities under 133 different boil water advisories and suggested he would address the issue as a top priority if his party formed government.
Bennett said the government remains committed to its timeline, noting capacity is building in communities.