30 years under longest boil-water advisory in Canada, Neskantaga First Nation pushes for new treatment plant
Ottawa's spent $30M on upgrades to treatment plant, but chief says clean water not getting to homes
Neskantaga First Nation in northwestern Ontario has been under a boil-water advisory for over 30 years — the longest in effect in Canada — and now leaders of the remote Ojibway community are ramping up efforts to get the federal government to pay for a new water treatment plant.
"It's been traumatic for a lot of my people. We shouldn't be living like this," said Chief Chris Moonias.
The community's water treatment plant was built in 1993. The boil-water advisory was issued by the First Nation and federal government two years later because the facility was testing positive for high levels of chlorine and harmful disinfectant products.
Feb. 1 marked the three-decade anniversary of the advisory. Ottawa says it has spent nearly $30 million on upgrades to the facility since 2017.
Moonias said the plant is producing good, clean water now, but problems with the distribution system mean it's not getting to people's homes.
While water is still flowing through people's taps, they're urged to boil it before drinking it or using it to brush their teeth or wash their faces, for example.
New treatment plant estimate at $52M
During the 2015 federal election campaign, Neskantaga became the backdrop of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to end all long-term boil-water advisories across the country within five years.
It's the lack of political will from the government— that's the way I feel.- Chief Chris Moonias, Neskantaga First Nation
That commitment was formalized in 2016, but the government missed its deadline.
"It's the lack of political will from the government — that's the way I feel," Moonias said of why the issue hasn't been resolved.
About 350 people live in Neskantaga, some 440 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Many band members have settled in the city, where the community's youth are sent to complete high school.
Indigenous Services Canada's (ISC) website says 33 long-term boil-water advisories are in effect in 31 communities across Canada — the bulk of them in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan — while 147 long-term advisories have been lifted since November 2015.
For the dates of when First Nations across the country went under boil-water advisories, hover over the locators in the following map:
In Neskantaga's case, Moonias describes a patchwork of short-term solutions over the years that have cost tens of millions of dollars and haven't addressed the root of the problem. He said the lack of access to clean drinking water has taken a toll on his people's mental health, leaving them with skin rashes — which community members, including the First Nation's health director — have long linked with people showering with the water.
A few weeks ago, Moonias said he submitted a project approval request to Ottawa in hopes of getting funding for a new water treatment plant, at an estimated cost of $52 million.
Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu told CBC News she supports Neskantaga's plans for a new plant.
However, with Parliament prorogued and the fate of the Liberal government uncertain, there may be more roadblocks ahead.
Clean water not getting to homes
After the federal government approved an initial $8.7 million in 2017 for upgrades to Neskantaga's current water treatment plant, a series of challenges resulted in work delays and a legal claim against a contractor.
Problems at the plant resulted in community evacuations in September 2019 and October 2020.
Despite the upgrades made in the last several years, the plant's distribution system is fundamentally flawed, said Moonias, which means it's not able to run the way it was designed.
The community continues to also rely on bottled water shipments paid for by the federal government, at a cost of about $6,000 a trip on a weekly or biweekly basis.
"The only way to get this fixed is a brand new water treatment plant, but the government forced the community to upgrade its water plant instead. But this hasn't worked," said Moonias.
According to Hajdu, the government has plans to address 12 deficiencies at Neskantaga's water treatment plant. The ministry meets with the community quarterly to discuss next steps, she said.
Meanwhile, talks have been underway for the last six months on "the design of a new plant with a new water intake that would provide cleaner-source water that might reduce some of those challenges that the community is facing," Hajdu said.
Call for community-led decision-making
Kerry Black is an assistant professor at the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary and a tier-II Canada research chair in the school's department of civil engineering.
Black has spent years researching community-led solutions to infrastructure challenges, namely water and wastewater.
Black said the problem of boil-water advisories speaks to how top-down policies and programs "continue to fail at the community level."
"We have to look at colonial policies and the ways in which we've developed or forced communities to develop without autonomy," said Black.
Long-term, sustainable funding is an ongoing issue, but most important is ensuring decisions are made with First Nations rather than for them, she said.
All of this is compounded by the inequities communities are dealing with, from the effects of colonialism to the disproportionate impact of climate change.
The installation or construction of a new drinking water treatment facility is not enough. That is one part of the solution, but it's not enough.- Kerry Black, University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering
In Neskantaga, there are also mounting pressures from mining companies staking claims in and around the Ring of Fire, a crescent-shaped mineral deposit in the James Bay lowlands seen as a critical source for the electric vehicle battery industry.
"The installation or construction of a new drinking water treatment facility is not enough. That is one part of the solution, but it's not enough," said Black.
One way to help is to ensure community members have the knowledge and tools to maintain infrastructure themselves.
For example, Moonias challenged the government to provide a water operator in Neskantaga several years ago. As a result, the Ontario Clean Water Agency has been running the plant since 2020, with support from ISC, to oversee and train local operators.
While Hajdu said this remains challenging — with communities often losing local water operators to nearby municipalities that pay more — she added the government is committed to providing communities with the resources they need to equitably pay their staff.
'Stop politicizing it'
Following Trudeau's resignation last month, Moonias is calling on Canada's next prime minister to resolve the crisis in his community. The chief is also pushing for better drinking water standards in all First Nations, "so we don't have to have those types of long-term boil-water advisories again."
Bill C-61 aimed to create national drinking water and wastewater standards in Canada's First Nations. While the proposed legislation wasn't perfect, Moonias said, it was a good start — but the prorogation of Parliament until later next month has halted it in its tracks.
Black said the bill would have given First Nations more say in what happens around their waterways.
The federal government must have consent from the affected community before a boil-water advisory is lifted. For Hajdu, that also means rebuilding their trust "that the water is actually clean."
Black said she hopes First Nations drinking water is given priority no matter who's chosen as Canada's next leader "because it's a human right."
"Stop politicizing it. Stop making it a volleyball that you bat between different political parties and hope that you can gain support by saying, 'Hey, if you vote for me, I'll give you clean, safe drinking water.'
"Enough with that. Just give [them] the clean, safe drinking water and call it a day."
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