In a country recognized as having some of the largest bodies of fresh water on the planet, how is it possible that over 5 million Canadians do not have access to a reliable source of potable water?
The Situation
The United Nations has long considered access to clean water and sanitation a basic human right, and Canada has failed to provide such access to its First Nations communities. In the last decade alone, two-thirds of the country’s First Nations communities have been under at least one drinking water advisory. Shockingly, some of these advisories have even been in effect for more than a couple decades. But what exactly does it mean to be under a water advisory?
Water advisories come in three categories.
A “boil water advisory” means water must be boiled for at least one minute prior to being consumed or used for bathing. In communities like Ontario’s Neskantaga First Nation, bathing in water that has not been boiled can result in rashes. Water that has not been boiled can also transmit illnesses, viruses and parasites, including E. coli. This particular community has been under a boil water advisory since 1995.
“Do not consume” advisories are one step up in severity, meaning that water is not safe for consumption, although it can be used for showering and bathing older children, the elderly and adults. Serpent River issued such an order in recent years, very shortly after a new water treatment plant was constructed on site following two successful small-scale treatment trials in 2009. Unfortunately, the new plant’s Fyne system technology, which makes use of advanced membranes, was unable to handle the source water’s acidity in such a large scale, resulting in damaged membranes. Tests revealed that the processed water contained carcinogens – 0.178 mg of trihalomethane (THM) per litre of water, nearly double the maximum amount of 0.1 mg considered to be safe for consumption by Health Canada. Since THMs cannot be boiled away, the community has been under a do not consume advisory since the plant’s opening.
Finally, “Do not use advisories” are the most severe of all three advisories, meaning that tap water is not fit for human consumption or use under any circumstances. Such advisories are often called following incidents like chemical spills, or when water contaminants cannot be dealt with by boiling.
Unfortunately, Canada’s First Nations water crisis is not even close to being resolved. A third of existing First Nations water treatment systems continue to pose a medium to high risk of producing unsanitary water. Even relatively new treatment facilities have failed to provide relief, as is the case for the Serpent River people. Of 103 new systems build since 2005, 13 systems are proving to be a cause for concern. Given these troubling red flags, it is no surprise that as of November 2016, there have been at least 130 water advisories enacted across 85 communities, including 14 long-term advisories.
Behind the Struggle
It is difficult to give an exact report on why Canada continues to fail its indigenous communities when it comes to providing them basic access to potable water, given that there seems to be little to no federal initiatives put in place to understand why even newer projects often fail in a premature manner. That said, a few factors stand out across the board, potentially explaining why the millions of dollars spent on industrial water treatment systems alone have failed to result in meaningful, long-term change.
1. Poor Design
The problem with many treatment centres begins at the root – that is, at the proposal stage. While it was common the 1980s for design, construction and operation plans to be submitted separately, this is no longer generally the case. In most modern municipalities, the system has evolved so that design and construction plans are typically submitted together by the same builder. For whatever reason, when it comes to dealing with First Nations water treatment plants, water treatment companies continue to provide plans separately, meaning that there is often a lack of cohesion from one step to the next.
Problematic designs and construction create a cycle of doom. When a plant is poorly designed and constructed, its lifespan can become incredibly short. In the case of Serpent River, the water treatment plant barely lasted beyond its ribbon-cutting ceremony. This is only one of many instances where design and construction failed to result in a successful outcome. Since the 80s, water treatment facilities, using membrane and reverse osmosis water treatment systems, built for indigenous use have been notorious for being poorly designed and constructed. As a result, funding is often diverted towards dealing with inborn problems.
2. Funding Problems
Unfortunately, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the federal government arm responsible for dealing with reserve infrastructure, is also plagued with a funding crisis. Many INAC programs have had their annual budget increase capped at two percent over the last couple of decades. As a result, Canada’s First Nations have had to work with limited budgets to create solutions for their problems, but maintaining those solutions is also problematic in itself.
With little remaining money on hand to operate and maintain new and existing treatment facilities, infrastructure tends to fail prematurely. This results in plants needing constant upgrades, repairs, and even total replacements. The cycle can border on ridiculous – at Whitefish River First Nation, a poorly designed plant built in 1997 was upgraded in 2008 at the cost of about $1-million in INAC funds. A year later, a new plant was financed and commissioned by INAC.
3. Education Issues
Another part of the struggle is due to the lack of education at both the federal and local level. Often, the community is not consulted properly when it comes to making water treatment decisions. Worse, those communities who propose alternatives to INAC solutions often find themselves at odds with the very hands holding the keys to federal funding. Community members must also be trained to operate and maintain local treatment facilities, and yet this too requires more funding.
On the other hand, INAC’s 71 engineers themselves are also criticized for lacking the appropriate skills and water-related expertise to assist First Nations communities in making informed decisions regarding their specific needs. As such, they tend to work with consulting firms to determine water treatment plants, keeping the community relatively at bay, yet it is clear that this approach often results in failure. This is more than unfortunate, given that local knowledge and input can often be beneficial in determining the best course of action for putting together a water treatment plan, specific to a particular region’s needs.
4. Inappropriate Standards
Another possible reason for which the First Nations continue to struggle with gaining access to potable water may lie behind problematic rules and standards. There is no standing provincial legislation to determine what level of infrastructure services are required on reserves, leaving the federal government to muddle it out. On another note, INAC’s water treatment standards are complex and often better suited to municipalities, rather than to small communities that sometimes include less than ten households. While the intention to provide municipal water treatment standards to rural communities is seemingly logical on the surface, such a standard often results in the development of water treatment facilities that are difficult for smaller communities to maintain.
The Next Five Years
The success of Canada’s indigenous communities will require more than an influx of cash over the next five years if change is to become permanent and sustainable. Some federally funded projects like the Safe Water Project demonstrate the importance of engaging local communities when it comes to creating a successful water treatment plan. Education and properly channelled funding is key, as locals who are trained and certified to manage water treatment facilities can then ensure future success for years to come.
On another note, it is not enough that engineers work with consultants to create treatment plans. Design, construction and operation plans must be integrated in a holistic manner to guarantee the chances of a treatment plan’s continued success. Integrating traditional and cultural community knowledge into the fold is an important step in ensuring that a community’s particular needs are taken into account.
Though the government has pledged an additional 1.8 billion dollars in INAC funding in order to end boil-water advisories by 2021, improvements and solutions must be aimed at all potential problem areas in order for the money to be useful in the long run. This includes protecting the environment, such as water sources and watersheds, for years to come. Through community engagement, new legislation, better education, improved designs and access to financing, it may be possible for the many communities under water advisories to find themselves in a better position five years from now, as promised by Prime Minister Trudeau.
Share This Article
