COVID-19

Indigenous Life and one of the Largest Freshwater Lakes in the World

Indigenous Life and one of the Largest Freshwater Lakes in the World

Filmmaker Kevin Settee's four-part documentary series is an ode to one of the world's largest freshwater lakes and the people and communities who care for it. The series profiles the resilience and ingenuity of four Indigenous communities: Matheson Island, Poplar River First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation and Camp Morningstar. Using an "own voices" approach, Settee connects with people who are responding to various external challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and industrial encroachment.

Social factors make Indigenous people more vulnerable to COVID, says B.C. professor

Social factors make Indigenous people more vulnerable to COVID, says B.C. professor

Lack of access to clean drinking water and low-quality health care have had a direct impact of Indigenous people’s vulnerability to COVID-19, according to a B.C. expert. Kimberly Huyser, an associate professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, has been studying Indigenous people’s health in relation to the pandemic since it began. She said it wasn’t the specific virus that interested her, but rather the way it highlighted how health care often fails Indigenous people in North America.

Federal promises to expand the protection of land and water are empty without budget commitments

Federal promises to expand the protection of land and water are empty without budget commitments

The federal government is hard at work finalizing a budget that will underwrite our path forward out of the pandemic as a country. That's why 50 women leaders from diverse regions and sectors, and across Indigenous, Black, racialized and LGBTQ2IS+ communities, are writing to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland this week to remind her that nature's recovery is essential to our own.

Canada's Indigenous communities remain under boil-water advisories amid Covid-19

Canada's Indigenous communities remain under boil-water advisories amid Covid-19

Dozens of indigenous communities across Canada have still no access to drinking water more than a year into the coronavirus outbreak as the country’s liberal government has officially failed to deliver on its own five-year deadline to lift all drinking water advisories in First Nations reserves. Canada’s Auditor General Karen Hogan presented a report in February documenting the total failure of successive Canadian governments -- including Justin Trudeau’s -- to provide for Indigenous communities’ most basic needs, insisting that “Access to safe drinking water is a basic human necessity,” according to the US-based World Socialist Web Site (WSWS).

Nipissing First Nation one of 37 clean water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure improvement projects for First Nations

Nipissing First Nation one of 37 clean water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure improvement projects for First Nations

37 First Nations across Ontario are receiving funding for clean water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure improvements, including Nipissing First Nation who is receiving $2,187,878 for a VLA Water Plant Replacement. “Nipissing First Nation is grateful for the funding provided by this program, which will help us address significant issues with the pump house and water quality in our Veterans’ Lane community,” says Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod.

Rural Alaskans struggle to access and afford water

Rural Alaskans struggle to access and afford water

Water scarcity in rural Alaska is not a new problem, but the situation is getting worse with climate change. Lasting solutions must encourage the use of alternative water supplies like rainwater catchment and grey water recycling. They must also address the affordability of water related to household income, say researchers from McGill University. Washing hands with clean water is something most people take for granted, yet for Alaska's rural residents, this is often not the case. When people pay for water by the gallon, serious thought is given to how much is used – even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 Manitoba grand chiefs highlight long-term boil water advisories on World Water Day

2 Manitoba grand chiefs highlight long-term boil water advisories on World Water Day

Indigenous people in Manitoba are highlighting the significant role clean water plays in society today — practically and culturally — in honour of World Water Day. The United Nations declared March 22 as World Water Day since 1993. It's a day to focus on the importance of fresh water, and advocating for sustainable development and bringing clean drinking water to more people.

Melillo wants to ‘eat his words’ on clean water crisis

Melillo wants to ‘eat his words’ on clean water crisis

Ottawa has once again delayed the completion of much-needed work on designing and building water construction plants in communities with long-term drinking water advisories but has recommitted to providing clean drinking water across the country. “It’s frustrating,” says Kenora MP Eric Melillo. “The government made a lot of promises to Canadians and Indigenous people across this country that they were going to end all long-term boil-water drinking water advisories.”

AG says Canada is still failing to provide clean drinking water for all First Nations

AG says Canada is still failing to provide clean drinking water for all First Nations

While the federal Liberal government vowed in its 2015 election campaign to end water advisories in Indigenous communities by the end of March 2021, a recent report from the auditor general says they haven’t taken action to make this happen. Auditor General Karen Hogan says 100 water advisories have been lifted since the Liberals came to power, but 60 remain across 41 communities.

Lack of funding for piped water on First Nations in Sask. means some on reserves can’t drink from their taps

Lack of funding for piped water on First Nations in Sask. means some on reserves can’t drink from their taps

Rebecca Zagozewski, executive director with the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, says cisterns can pose health risks to those who rely on them. She says the structures can have cracked lids, which allows all sorts of debris to get into them — including rats, mice, drowned puppies and garbage — and they’re often not cleaned properly. On top of that, she says the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association is concerned that there is no certification program for water truck drivers. The group wants to create such a program where drivers would have to be trained in how to keep the water safe and be held accountable if things go wrong. “Because right now there’s no accountability,” she says.