TORONTO – First Nations chiefs in Ontario want the federal government to heed warnings in the final report of the Walkerton Inquiry which they say could prevent a water disaster on a reserve. The Walkerton report noted that 83 reserves across Canada, including 22 in Ontario, have water systems at high risk of contamination. It called those findings “disturbing” and “unacceptable.” Ron Foerster, a lawyer for the Walkerton inquiry, agrees with that assessment. He says First Nations reserves have the poorest treatment facilities in the province, with problems ranging from “inadequate equipment, lack of training for the operators, (to) lack of basic knowledge of how to operate one of these systems.” Local First Nations and the federal government share responsibility for the safety of water systems on reserves. A spokesperson for the Chiefs of Ontario blames Ottawa for the shortcomings. Jonathan Kahn says he wants to see the federal government take quick action to help First Nations communities fix the problems.
“The federal government has to ensure appropriate funding is in place, appropriate training is there to allow for safe water and enough water,” said Kahn.
David Donnelly with the Safe Drinking Water Coalition says water safety on reserves has been a long-standing issue.
“There is an epidemic in terms of infant mortality rates on reserves, and I think we should stop blaming it on extraneous factorsvind get to the real issues and that is ‘What role does water quality play’,” said Donnelly.
The Walkerton report calls for action on reserves, saying there is no reason people living there should be exposed to lower health standards than the rest of Ontario.
