Many, if not most, of the 62 First Nations reserves in this country that lack a safe water supply are found in isolated areas, far from where most Canadians live.
It is to the credit of the current Liberal government in Ottawa that in its quest for reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples it is making real progress with its longstanding pledge to ensure every First Nation reserve has a safe supply of water for drinking, washing food and bathing.
But it is an indication of the enormity of the problem that the progress is both limited and halting.
It is a fact of life in far too many Indigenous communities that their tap water is unfit for consumption without first being boiled.
At that time, Trudeau’s promise to make these long-term drinking water advisories a thing of the past in every First Nations community by 2021 was greeted with disbelief.
Life is better in those communities, even if they still face challenges unimaginable to most Canadians.
Moreover, the integrity of First Nations water systems can’t be judged solely by the number of water boil advisories.
Other federal government data suggest the improvements to those water systems aren’t as significant or permanent as the end of all those drinking water advisories might lead us to conclude.
Even so, the government has a long way to go.
Yet this remains something Canada absolutely must do.

Many, if not most, of the 62 First Nations reserves in this country that lack a safe water supply are found in isolated areas, far from where most Canadians live.
It is to the credit of the current Liberal government in Ottawa that in its quest for reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples it is making real progress with its longstanding pledge to ensure every First Nation reserve has a safe supply of water for drinking, washing food and bathing.
But it is an indication of the enormity of the problem that the progress is both limited and halting.
It is a fact of life in far too many Indigenous communities that their tap water is unfit for consumption without first being boiled.
At that time, Trudeau’s promise to make these long-term drinking water advisories a thing of the past in every First Nations community by 2021 was greeted with disbelief.
Life is better in those communities, even if they still face challenges unimaginable to most Canadians.
Moreover, the integrity of First Nations water systems can’t be judged solely by the number of water boil advisories.
Other federal government data suggest the improvements to those water systems aren’t as significant or permanent as the end of all those drinking water advisories might lead us to conclude.
Even so, the government has a long way to go.
Yet this remains something Canada absolutely must do.

CNS Canada – Despite above normal precipitation over the last couple of months, when comes to the drought, the Prairies are not out of the woods as winter approaches.
For next growing season, especially like this year, they are going to require frequent, reliable rain during the growing season,” he explained.
Patrick Cherneski of the National Agri-Climate Information Service said Canada has a probability of experiencing an El Nino in the 70 per cent range.
He said an El Nino would mean a warmer winter for Western Canada with less precipitation and that would contribute to overall drier conditions.
“Quite often the arrival of the conditions, the climate phenomenon, does arrive but over the past several years they arrive slower than expected and not at the magnitude expected.
In this case for Western Canada that would be a positive,” Cherneski said.
In light of this fall’s precipitation, Burnett said southern Manitoba remains below normal in terms of moisture and there is a chance for southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta to receive late season precipitation.
“But at this time of year you tend not to get as much precipitation just because of the atmospheric dynamics are far more subdued,” he said.
As for the central Prairies, Burnett said they are a bit dry and that the northern Prairies almost have too much moisture.
In turn, harvesting in northern Alberta and northern Saskatchewan could be delayed to until spring.

But that’s not the case for the nearly 2,200 indigenous people about 10 miles away on the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nations reserve.
Six of its water systems are under long-term drinking-water advisories.
But the commitment, part of a raft of pledges designed to bring about reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous people, has not been easy to address, and chiefs and others worry that a combination of red tape, undertrained operators at water treatment plants and insufficient funding means that progress will be sporadic.
Despite the fact that Canada has the world’s third-largest supply of fresh water, water on indigenous reserves has for decades been contaminated with various chemicals or bacteria, tough to access or at risk because of broken-down water systems that can take years to fix.
In Neskantaga, a remote fly-in reserve also in northern Ontario, residents have been boiling water for 23 years after a water treatment plant that was built in 1993 broke down.
Since becoming prime minister, Trudeau has earmarked nearly $2 billion to make good on his promise, but addressing the crisis hasn’t been easy.
In 2016, after four years of negotiations with the federal government, his reserve got something that many don’t have: a $31 million state-of-the-art water treatment plant, which provides clean water to 68 homes and various community facilities.
A report from Human Rights Watch in 2016 found that of the dozens of drinking-water advisories in place on Ontario’s reserves, almost 60 were for systems less than 25 years old, and 12 were for systems less than 15 years old.
Making matters worse, reserves often struggle to retain water treatment plant operators, who are trained by Health Canada and responsible for testing the water.
A $41 million water treatment plant was built to serve part of the Six Nations reserve in 2014, she explained, but residents are afraid to drink from it because they don’t trust that the water is clean.

But that’s not the case for the nearly 2,200 indigenous people about 10 miles away on the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nations reserve.
Six of its water systems are under long-term drinking-water advisories.
But the commitment, part of a raft of pledges designed to bring about reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous people, has not been easy to address, and chiefs and others worry that a combination of red tape, undertrained operators at water treatment plants and insufficient funding means that progress will be sporadic.
Despite the fact that Canada has the world’s third-largest supply of fresh water, water on indigenous reserves has for decades been contaminated with various chemicals or bacteria, tough to access or at risk because of broken-down water systems that can take years to fix.
In Neskantaga, a remote fly-in reserve also in northern Ontario, residents have been boiling water for 23 years after a water treatment plant that was built in 1993 broke down.
Since becoming prime minister, Trudeau has earmarked nearly $2 billion to make good on his promise, but addressing the crisis hasn’t been easy.
Maracle’s community has seen progress.
In 2016, after four years of negotiations with the federal government, his reserve got something that many don’t have: a $31 million state-of-the-art water treatment plant, which provides clean water to 68 homes and various community facilities.
A report from Human Rights Watch in 2016 found that of the dozens of drinking water advisories in place on Ontario’s reserves, almost 60 were for systems less than 25 years old, and 12 were for systems less than 15 years old.
A $41 million water treatment plant was built to serve part of the Six Nations reserve in 2014, she explained, but residents are afraid to drink from it because they don’t trust that the water is clean.

To get clean drinking water, residents of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nations reserve must go to one of two fill-up stations.
less To get clean drinking water, residents of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nations reserve must go to one of two fill-up stations.
But that’s not the case for the nearly 2,200 indigenous people about 10 miles away on the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nations reserve.
Six of its water systems are under long-term drinking water advisories.
But the commitment, which was part of a broader raft of pledges designed to bring about reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous people, has not been easy to address, and chiefs and others worry that a combination of red tape, undertrained water treatment plant operators and insufficient funding means that progress will be sporadic.
To avoid drinking water contaminated with blue algae or bacteria such as E. coli, residents of Ontario’s third-largest First Nations reserve boil water, pay for it to be delivered to them by truck, or haul jugs to and from the reserve’s two fill-up stations.
Despite the fact that Canada has the world’s third-largest supply of fresh water, water on indigenous reserves has for decades been contaminated with various chemicals or bacteria, tough to access or at risk because of broken-down water systems that can take years to fix.
Since becoming prime minister, Trudeau has earmarked nearly $2 billion to make good on his promise, but addressing the crisis hasn’t been easy.
In 2016, after four years of negotiations with the federal government, his reserve got something that many don’t have: a $31 million state-of-the-art water treatment plant, which provides clean water to 68 homes and various community facilities.
A report from Human Rights Watch in 2016 found that of the dozens of drinking water advisories in place on Ontario’s reserves, almost 60 were for systems less than 25 years old and 12 were for systems less than 15 years old.

China: A Nation Prone to Fresh Water Crisis Currently, due to increasing urbanization, the municipal water demand in cities of China are projected to grow 70% in 2030 (Wang et al., 2017).
Shanghai falls amongst China’s 36 worst cities regarding water quality (Zhen et al., 2017), and between 2010-2012 it was reported by the cities water census that 3% of local surface water was clean for fish farms or household use.
Shanghai exemplifies the battle China is fighting from one mega city to the next, and can be utilized as a case study for the proposed socio-political strategy surrounding water sustainability.
Lotus intends to provide a unique dialogue surrounding water sustainability, approaching urban fresh-water as a communal urban focus.
The strategy looks to increase governmental transparency, monumentally showcasing the cities effort to maintain fresh-water supply.
The technology for renewable fresh water is already available.
dynamic fins that wrap around the water tower increase in the degree of opening based on the improvement of water quality in the city.
In this way Lotus cultivates an iterative dialogue between the urban community and it’s interaction with water.
Experiential Emphasis of Water As the fresh-water sustainability in the city strengthens, the building opens up to the public.
Lotus uses water to create an oasis of respite that curates a series of experiences for the city population, incentivizing a continual effort to maintain strong urban fresh-water security.

The Kehewin Cree Nation, about 235 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, has been under a boil-water advisory since 2011, according to the Indigenous Services Canada website.
Although the federal organization has invested $13.9 million to support construction of a new water treatment system, the group says in a news release the water advisory isn’t expected to be lifted until March 2020.
“So today marks the first step in a longer journey of partnership and a moment of renewed relationships.” In July, a drinking water advisory was lifted at the Whitefish Lake First Nation, about 425 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, that had been in place since May 2011.
Clean water is being trucked to community cisterns while a new water treatment plant is under construction.
Kehewin, with more than 1,100 residents, is one of 73 First Nations across Canada that has had a drinking-water advisory in place for at least a year.
That’s down from 105 advisories three years ago.
The federal government’s goal is to eliminate all advisories by March 2021.
This year’s budget provided another $172.6 million over three years to deal with First Nations water infrastructure.
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Alaina Lockhart, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Cathy Rogers, Minister of Finance; and Jim Campbell, Mayor of Riverside-Albert; today announced over $24,000 in joint funding towards the installation of water system sampling stations in the Village of Riverside-Albert.
The federal government is funding up to 50 per cent of project costs—over $11,000.
Thanks to this investment, two dedicated water sampling stations will be installed on the municipal water distribution system.
This investment by the Government of Canada will ensure that residents have access to clean, safe drinking water for years to come.
They can now be confident as they plan for sustainable growth and make investments to create well-paying middle class jobs.
I am proud that we were able to partner with the Village and the Province of New Brunswick with this investment for the future here in Albert County."
When we invest strategically, we maximize the return on every dollar invested."
The Honourable Cathy Rogers, Minister of Finance "As a result of the water and wastewater partnership with the federal and provincial governments, the Village of Riverside-Albert was able to install new water lines and laterals on King Street.
Quick facts The Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
$26.9 billion of this funding will support green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion that will be available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Alaina Lockhart, Member of Parliament for Fundy Royal, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities; the Honourable Cathy Rogers, Minister of Finance; and Jim Campbell, Mayor of Riverside-Albert; today announced over $24,000 in joint funding towards the installation of water system sampling stations in the Village of Riverside-Albert.
The federal government is funding up to 50 per cent of project costs—over $11,000.
Thanks to this investment, two dedicated water sampling stations will be installed on the municipal water distribution system.
This investment is part of an agreement between Canada and New Brunswick for clean water and wastewater.
This investment by the Government of Canada will ensure that residents have access to clean, safe drinking water for years to come.
I am proud that we were able to partner with the Village and the Province of New Brunswick with this investment for the future here in Albert County."
When we invest strategically, we maximize the return on every dollar invested."
The Honourable Cathy Rogers, Minister of Finance "As a result of the water and wastewater partnership with the federal and provincial governments, the Village of Riverside-Albert was able to install new water lines and laterals on King Street.
Quick facts The Government of Canada will invest more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
These investments complement the Atlantic Growth Strategy, a 2-year federal-provincial action plan aimed at stimulating economic growth in the region through five priority areas: Skilled workforce/Immigration; Innovation; Clean growth and climate change; Trade and investment; Infrastructure.