First Nations University of Canada

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.

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.

First Nations workers in Sask. sacrifice wages, vacation to run underfunded water systems

First Nations workers in Sask. sacrifice wages, vacation to run underfunded water systems

Rebecca Zagozewski is the executive director of the Saskatchewan First Nations Water Association, a non-profit organization that works to build First Nations’ capacity to take care and control of their own water services. She says recruitment and retention of water treatment plant operators is a “real problem” on Saskatchewan First Nations, largely because they often can’t pay operators competitive wages.