Canada: water 'source of fear' for native communities, report says

Posted May 26, 2008 in [Water]

Mike De Souza, The National Post - Water quality in aboriginal communities and reserves across the country has reached a "boiling point," warns a new report released Thursday by the Polaris Institute, the Assembly of First Nations and the Canadian Labour Congress.

"The deplorable conditions that First Nation people live in would not be accepted in any other part of the country," says the report, co-authored by Andrea Harden and Holly Levaillant from the Polaris Institute, a citizens' rights advocacy group that challenges corporate influence on public policy issues. "For many, water has become a source of fear, and people have good reason to believe that what comes out of their taps may be making them sick. What is happening should be considered a violation of fundamental human rights in this country."

The report, which focused on six First Nations communities across the country -- Landsdowne House and Pikangikum in Ontario, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg in Quebec, Yellow Quill First Nation in Saskatchewan, Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, and LittleSalmon Carmacks in the Yukon territory -- says that the situation has reached a crisis for many local residents.

"One of the problems that we face, of course, is that there is a tendency to blame us for the situation," said Phil Fontaine, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, at a news conference. "Well in fact, we never polluted or contaminated our water, yet we're being held accountable to make sure we fix this, and I think this is completely unfair."

About 100 aboriginal communities across the country remained on drinking water advisories as of last month without adequate response from the federal government, according to the report.

"While $330-million in the 2008 budget was allocated to safe drinking water in First Nations communities over two years, the current government has backed away from the Kelowna Accord that dedicated $5.1-billion to improving the socio-economic conditions and access to water for aboriginal people," says the report. "Although the accord would not have closed the gap between the standard of living for First Nations and non-aboriginals in Canada, it was a sign of progress."

Mr. Fontaine said there has been progress in some communities, but that many aboriginals continue to face "startling" conditions that would shock many Canadians, such as water that is contaminated by uranium, harmful bacteria or substances that can stain metal. He added that Landsdowne House, which is profiled in the report, has been under a boiling water advisory for more than a decade.

"This is a challenge that is before the entire country. It isn't just the people that experience poverty -- First Nations people," said Mr. Fontaine. "It's a direct result of gross negligence on the part of successive governments."

The report also raises concerns about the impact of development in Alberta's oilsands on water quality and the environment for the Fort Chipewyan community where a local physician, John O'Connor, was the subject of a complaint from the federal and provincial governments when he spoke out about an outbreak of a rare form of cancer affecting the locals.

The federal and provincial government announced Thursday a study into the high incidences of colon, liver, blood and bile-duct cancers in Fort Chipewyan.