When Thorah Central Public School students need water they just turn on a tap.
Maxine Scott’s Grade 7/8 class now has a greater appreciation for being able to access clean water after a recent visit by Water First educator Carol Lynn Wallace.
Water First is a non-profit organization that works with Ontario indigenous people providing training to help them manager their own water systems.
The students took part in a GUSH workshop that is designed to introduce youth to the challenges many Ontario First Nations face in accessing safe water.
One in five First Nations communities in Canada – and two in five in Ontario – are under a boil water advisory.
Wallace added there can be a disconnect between students living in central and southern Ontario and what is happening in the north, specifically relating to the Ring of Fire chromite mining and smelting development project.
The massive project will impact nine First Nations communities – including Neshkantaga which hasn’t had clean water for more than 20 years – as well as the James Bay Lowlands, the third largest wetland in the world.
During the workshop, students explored the extent of the mine’s environmental impact by building and testing a hands-on watershed model.
“It helps mimic what could potentially happen,” said Wallace.
“Most kids don’t want to be on the mine side,” quipped Wallace, noting that, while there are benefits such as the installation of water treatment plants, jobs, access to hydro – many residents use diesel generators – and roads to the current fly-in-only communities, the mine has a finite lifespan.