protect water

‘Historic’ agreement signed to protect more of B.C.’s lands and waters

‘Historic’ agreement signed to protect more of B.C.’s lands and waters

A historic deal signed Friday will protect 30 per cent of B.C.’s lands and waters by 2030. The Trilateral Framework Agreement was signed between the federal and British Columbia governments and the Indigenous-led First Nations Leadership Council. With this agreement, the federal government will be contributing $500 million and the B.C. government has dedicated more than $500 million, which includes a fund for old-growth forests and the opportunity for additional funds from the philanthropic community. The agreement includes a commitment to work together toward protecting 25 per cent by 2025, including on Indigenous protected areas.

TIFF 2023 'Boil Alert': Urgency of North America's water crisis exposed though a journey of identity

TIFF 2023 'Boil Alert': Urgency of North America's water crisis exposed though a journey of identity

"You're going to see the injustice with the water, you're going to feel it without us having to sit down with David Suzuki and tell you how it happened, or why. ... You're going to figure that out by the human interaction between these people telling you their stories, and Layla learned about her own story."

New network for Indigenous land guardians welcomed in North

New network for Indigenous land guardians welcomed in North

A new federal initiative aimed at helping Indigenous communities protect their lands and water is a "win-win for everyone," according to some Northerners. "It benefits the programs and the communities that they serve, but that benefit and that value grows beyond those communities," said Dahti Tsetso, deputy director of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, which supports Indigenous Guardian programs across Canada and in the North. Tsetso has also been director of lands and resources for the Dehcho First Nations in Fort Simpson, N.W.T.

Opinion: Water crisis solutions must involve traditional water law

Opinion: Water crisis solutions must involve traditional water law

The question posted across the screen during both the French and English federal leader’s debates asked: “Water for all Indigenous Peoples?” The question sounds absurd because it is. Yes, we are still trying to ensure Indigenous Peoples have safe, reliable access to clean drinking water. The leaders took turns tossing blame, calling the Indigenous water crisis a national shame and promising to do better. Two election cycles ago, the governing party promised to eliminate all boil water advisories in Indigenous communities. The government lifted 108 boil water advisories, but today hundreds of Indigenous communities still do not have reliable access to safe drinking water.

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Clean water for First Nations critical during the COVID-19 pandemic: Activists

Activists in northeastern Ontario fighting for safe, clean water in First Nations communities across Canada are getting tired of broken promises. After five years and millions in spending, the Liberal government announced in early December that it would not fulfill its commitment to end all long-term water advisories on reserves by March 2021. Although some progress has been made – 97 advisories have been lifted since November 2015 – there’s still a long way to go. There are 59 active long-term water advisories in 41 communities across the country, and activists maintain that clean water should be a priority for the federal government, especially during a global pandemic. “Water is a basic human right, and nobody should have to beg for it. This is wrong, and it’s come to the point where I think it comes down to racism,” said Autumn Peltier, a teenage water-rights activist from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island.

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

GUEST OPINION: P.E.I. water issue is not urban versus rural

It is disturbing to hear the genuine public concern over high-capacity wells being deliberately misinterpreted as “urban versus rural” and as an attack against farmers. The Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island has been working for years to usher in a new era of water protection and conservation, and never once have we opposed farmers. Farmers are important to the economic and social health of the province.