Broken Promises

Broken Promises: University students release documentary investigating the water crisis on Saskatchewan First Nations

Broken Promises: University students release documentary investigating the water crisis on Saskatchewan First Nations

Students at the University of Regina, Concordia University in Montreal, Que. and First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) are taking a closer look at the First Nations water crisis in Saskatchewan, contributing to a new era of investigative journalism in Canada. The project is led by the Institute for Investigative Journalism (IIJ) at Concordia, producing over 30 articles and broadcast programs including an hour-long documentary investigating the safety of drinking water in Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada.

Bad water sickens First Nations, but government doesn’t track the toll

Bad water sickens First Nations, but government doesn’t track the toll

The true toll of the water crisis in First Nations communities across Canada can’t be known because the government has failed to track and study water-related illnesses. That stands in the way of tackling the problem, experts told the Institute for Investigative Journalism as part of “Clean Water, Broken Promises,” a year-long investigation conducted in collaboration with universities across the country and a consortium of media outlets including The Tyee. Some critics charge the “black hole” of information is intentional because it allows authorities to duck responsibility. A disproportionate number of illnesses that occur as a result of contaminated drinking water are in First Nations communities with substandard water systems, but the data needed to map the reality are missing.