“It’s not just a suicide crisis, but it’s also a water crisis that they’re facing and that they have been facing out there for years. They’re on a boil water advisory. They’re surrounded by water they can’t touch, swim in or drink and they rely solely on water bottles. So, there’s a lot going on.”
Water crisis in First Nations communities runs deeper than long-term drinking water advisories
In October, more than 250 members of the Neskantaga First Nation were evacuated to Thunder Bay after an oily sheen was found on their reservoir. The discovery left the community, located in northern Ontario, without access to running water. The evacuation drew attention to the federal government’s 2015 commitment to end all on reserve long-term drinking water advisories (in place for more than one year) by March 31, 2021. Neskantaga has been living under a boil-water advisory for 26 years.