crisis

Village of Roche Percee under boil-water order after E. coli bacteria discovered in water supply

Village of Roche Percee under boil-water order after E. coli bacteria discovered in water supply

Water testing in the village of Roche Percee has revealed E. coli contamination, and a boil-water order has been initiated, the provincial Ministry of Health said Friday The order is applicable for the entire community and other individuals who access water from Roche Percee, about 20 kilometres southeast of Estevan. "It's been an ongoing crisis here for a while," Mayor Jay Riedel said. "We've gone through a flood in 2011 when six to seven feet of water was here, which compromised a lot of stuff in this area. "Our water levels in wells are low and without the rain, when we need to keep them full, we're usually down at the bottom all the time."

Neskantaga First Nation taking Ontario to court over 'inadequate' consultation on Ring of Fire

Neskantaga First Nation taking Ontario to court over 'inadequate' consultation on Ring of Fire

Neskantaga First Nation is taking Ontario to court looking for "ground rules" on how the province should consult and accommodate Indigenous communities that are in a state of crisis. The remote Oji-Cree First Nation, located about 430 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, has been under a boil-water advisory for 26 years and a state of emergency since 2013, when seven people died by suicide in less than a year. Those issues have been compounded by the pandemic, leaving Neskantaga ill-equipped to engage in what the province has presented as consultation on a project to build a road through its territory to the mineral-rich Ring of Fire, community leaders say.

After all 3 water trucks in Kangiqsualujjuaq broke down, community rallied with pickup trucks

After all 3 water trucks in Kangiqsualujjuaq broke down, community rallied with pickup trucks

Many smaller communities rely solely on water trucks to deliver clean water to home. So when the trucks break down, it becomes a headache and even a crisis. That was the case for Kangiqsualujjuaq, Nunavik, in northern Quebec, where recently, all three water trucks broke down and were in disrepair for almost three weeks. "It was a difficult thing because all the water trucks were broken plus all the parts were being backordered from the company we ordered parts from," said Mayor David Annanack, adding that COVID-19 was also causing an issue at the factories where they get parts.

B.C. cattle ranchers say government drought funding a 'good start' but crisis will take years to fix

B.C. cattle ranchers say government drought funding a 'good start' but crisis will take years to fix

Unprecedented high temperatures and wildfires have hit British Columbia's agriculture sector hard this year. Another heat wave is in the forecast this week and the crisis has become a "perfect storm," according to ranchers struggling with skyrocketing winter feed costs, depleted water sources and wildfires. "Our pastures are looking pretty brown right now and we've had about an inch of rain in the last week," said Judy Madden, a Dawson Creek cattle rancher and president of the South Peace Cattlemen's Association. "No one got the rain they needed. The fear here is that we're going to lose a pile of our breeding herd."

The House: Water worries go beyond boil water advisories, Indigenous leaders say

The House: Water worries go beyond boil water advisories, Indigenous leaders say

Concerns about water access in Indigenous communities go well beyond persistent drinking water advisories, two Indigenous leaders say. Both Iqaluit Deputy Mayor Janet Pitsiulaaq Brewster and Samson Cree Councillor Mario Swampy said there's still more work to do in the wake of the $8 billion settlement reached recently in two class action lawsuits against the federal government over boil water advisories.

‘Deeply frustrated’: 60 evacuated from Neskantaga First Nation over water crisis

‘Deeply frustrated’: 60 evacuated from Neskantaga First Nation over water crisis

A First Nation community in northwestern Ontario that has been under a boil water advisory for more than 25 years says it is evacuating some of its members after a new issue with its water supply was discovered. In a tweet just before 5 p.m. ET, Neskantaga First Nation Chief Chris Moonias said it is “disheartening and sad” that he has had to evacuate the elderly, infants, chronically ill and vulnerable people from the community for a second time during his tenure.

Indigenous ​activist Autumn Peltier vows to hold feds accountable for 61 boil water advisories​

Indigenous ​activist Autumn Peltier vows to hold feds accountable for 61 boil water advisories​

With tears in her eyes, Peltier has also pressed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly about the ongoing threat that oil pipelines pose to the environment, specifically clean drinking water. “I’m kind of still holding him accountable because I’m not going to forget that,” she said. “When you think about Canada, you don’t imagine having a crisis or issue this big because we’re looked at as a rich country." The Trudeau government promised to end all long-term water boil advisories on First Nations reserves by March 2021. As of last March, 88 were lifted, but 61 still remain. Even through the pandemic, Peltier’s activism hasn’t stopped. Along with completing her school work, she’s also been empowering other youth through online events and speaking engagements.

Feds should meet deadline for clean water on First Nations, MP

Feds should meet deadline for clean water on First Nations, MP

Kenora MP Eric Melillo says he doesn't accept the federal government's decision to delay, when it comes to providing clean drinking water to all First Nation members. "This is a crisis that has been going on forever in the history of Canada, and yet it has not been responded to. We're going to keep the pressure on, and we want to see them commit to meeting their deadline," he said yesterday.

Attawapiskat residents want Canadian military help to deal with water 'state of emergency'

Attawapiskat residents want Canadian military help to deal with water 'state of emergency'

During an emotional community meeting Tuesday evening, residents of a northern Ontario First Nation grappling with water problems demanded their chief and council ask the Canadian military to step in. Attawapiskat Band Coun. Rosie Koostachin said community members passed a resolution at the meeting calling on their band council to request Ottawa bring in the Canadian Armed Forces' Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to provide clean water.