When the prime minister addressed on-reserve water advisories in last week’s English leaders’ debate, he made it sound like the water issue was well in hand. The casual way that Canadians all the way up to and including the prime minister talk about First Nations water issues shows that the country still does not get it.
Even in the unlikely event that all water advisories are lifted, First Nations people will still be struggling to access this necessity of life.
Growing up on the Muskowekwan First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan, I dealt with water issues throughout my life. My grandparents did not have running water until the late 1980s. They had huge rain barrels that would be filled via water truck once a week.
When my grandparents moved to a home with running water, they encountered a new issue: contamination. All homes on the reserve had high levels of iron, among other contaminates, giving the water an odour and yellow colour. We used a product called “Iron Out” for laundry so it would not turn clothing yellow.
It’s easy to imagine what this water would do if used for bathing and cooking. We boiled water for cooking and always had blue jugs for drinking. We rationed what water we used per week, often having to choose between either laundry or cleaning.
I was 10 when I developed severe skin rashes. I visited various doctors and specialists who prescribed a cocktail of antibiotics and ointments. The relief was temporary, at best. I was traumatized by the experience. There are now antibiotics that prevent the bad reactions, but the water challenges persist.
There are many impacts that have not been captured in the shallow debate about First Nations’ water supplies. Far too many communities make do with band-aid fixes, like bottled water. Ottawa focuses on easy solutions, highlighting the short-term water advisories as a public marker of “real” achievement.
Many First Nations require a comprehensive infrastructure overhaul. Few reserves have homes connected to centralized water mains. Many rely on trucked water and individual cisterns connected to homes. These tanks are not much different from the rain barrels my grandparents had in the late 1980s.
This is far from sufficient as water is easily contaminated during the transport process. The system often fails. If the truck breaks down, people are left without water, often for days or for an indefinite period.
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