The Neskantaga Water Crisis
Canada is rich in water. As a result,
many of us take this substance for
granted. We take long showers. We
drink tall glasses of water filled
straight from kitchen faucets. We
don't think twice about how access
to clean water impacts our lives.
Troubled Waters
For many Indigenous people living
on reserves, however, it's a
different story. Consider the
Neskantaga First Nation. This
community of about 350 people in
northern Ontario can only be
reached by air or by an ice road in
winter.
For more than 25 years, the water
coming out of taps on this reserve
has been tainted, discoloured, and
sometimes toxic. People get skin
rashes after bathing or taking
showers. And residents have had to
boil water for at least a minute
before washing produce, cooking,
and brushing teeth. If they don't
drink bottled water, they risk
getting sick.
Similar conditions plague 40
additional First Nations and Inuit
communities. But the Neskantaga
people hold an unfortunate record.
They have the longest ongoing
boil-water advisory in Canada.
An Ugly Oily Sheen
Level 1 • Issue 5
Recently, the bad situation in the
Neskantaga First Nation got worse.
This past October, most residents
had to leave their homes after their
water was shut off altogether. It
was the second time in two years.
The reason this time? Patches of
oil were spotted on the surface of
the community’s reservoir.
Public health officials told people
not to bathe, flush the toilet, or use
water for cooking, even after
boiling it. So members were flown
to Thunder Bay, 450 kilometres to
the south, where they were put up
in a hotel.
A Question of Trust
Officials spent two months
investigating the cause of the oily
water. Finally, they linked it to a
broken seal on a pump in the
community's water plant. They
tested the oil and found it to be
non-toxic. That meant Neskantaga
residents could fly home.
They returned to their community
on December 18. They are still
boiling tap water, however,
because the water plant isn’t
working to capacity. And many
people just don’t have faith that
their water will ever be safe.
“If [we] get clean water here, I’m
still not going to trust myself to
drink the tap water because I’ve
What in the World?
been growing up drinking water
[from] bottles,” said Geoffrey
Quisses. Mr. Quisses is 22. That
means he's three years younger
than the community’s
boil-water advisory.
Issues Clog The Pipes
The Neskantaga water saga began
in the late 1980s. That's when the
community was relocated by the
federal government to
Attawapiskat Lake. Their original
settlement was located a short
distance to the east. But it flooded
often, and lacked plumbing.
The federal government promised
the Neskantaga nation a better life
in their new home. For one thing,
each house would have clean
running water. Yet from the start,
the nation’s new water source was
a problem.
Attawapiskat Lake has high
concentrations of organic matter
from fallen trees and other plants.
That has hurt its water quality.
Experts have found several
pathogens in the lake, including E.
coli. When E. coli tainted the water
supply in Walkerton, Ontario in
2000, it killed six people.
In 1993 the federal department
paid to have a new water treatment
plant built. However, the plant
didn't work properly and the
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boil-water advisory started in
1995.
Delays, Delays, Delays
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and
the Liberals came to power in
2015. They promised to tackle
water problems on reserves once
and for all.
The Liberal government authorized
an upgraded plant for the
Neskantaga nation. The work
was supposed to be completed by
2018. But delays in getting
approvals for some improvements
slowed down progress. The
community needed a better sewer
lift station, for example. When a
lift station fails, wastewater can
back up into homes and on land.
Plus, calibrating the plant’s
computer system to balance all the
chemicals has been a challenge.
Disputes with contractors,
mislabeled equipment, and a
worker who had COVID-19 have
also caused delays. Meanwhile the
project budget, originally set at
$8.7,million, has nearly doubled to
$16.4 million.
The Bigger Picture
Still, the upgrade is finally nearing
completion. By spring, once the
water passes all tests, it should be
safe to drink. But Elders say
skilled people must run the plant,
or problems will return. So plans
are underway to hire certified
water operators to train local band
members.
“I don’t want to have to evacuate
the community again,” Chief Chris
Moonias says. "I don’t want that.
My nation doesn’t want that.” 

A Shameful Situation
The federal government had promised to end all boil-water advisories by March 2021, mainly by fixing
design, construction, and installation issues with water treatment plants.
By late January, 97 long-term advisories have been lifted. However, 59 advisories remain in effect. The
government says COVID-19 is preventing it from meeting the deadline.
Change can’t come soon enough. The group Human Rights Watch, which studied the issue in Canada, says
some people are losing patience. So they drink, wash dishes, and bathe in water that hasn't been boiled first.
That exposes them to potentially deadly toxins. They get skin infections. Some avoid water entirely.
Poor-quality water also contributes to housing shortages. Communities can't build more houses without
upgrading their water and sewer systems.

boil-water advisory: a recommendation issued by

public health officials to boil water for at least one
minute as a way to remove bacteria, viruses, and
parasites
calibrate: to adjust or mark a device so that it can be
used in an accurate and exact way

pathogen: a disease-causing bacteria or virus

reservoir: a usually artificial lake that is used to store a large
supply of water for use in people’s homes and businesses
toxic: containing poisonous substances

Level 1 • Issue 5 What in the World? -2-

Comprehension Questions

1. Where is the Neskantaga First Nation located? How isolated is this community?

2. For how long have people lived in this location? When and why did they move here?

3. Why is the water source for the Neskantaga First Nation problematic? Explain.

4. What did the federal government do in 1993 to try to provide clean water?

5. Why is there a water 'crisis' in Neskantaga? How has this crisis affected everyday life for residents?

6. What did the federal government promise in 2015?

7. Describe why Neskantaga residents were evacuated last fall.

8. Where were residents evacuated to? How did they get there?

9. When were residents allowed to return?

Level 1 • Issue 5 What in the World? -3-

Questions for Further Thought
1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to end all boil-water advisories by March 2021. Ninety-seven advisories have
been lifted since he made that promise. However, there are still 40 First Nations and Inuit communities in Canada living
with an advisory.
As you see it, what steps must be taken to ensure that all Canadians have sustainable access to clean water?

2. The human body is composed of about 60 percent water. Health experts agree that water consumption is vital to
maintaining good physical health, as is proper hygiene and good nutrition.
Imagine for a moment that the water in your home is not fit for drinking, taking showers, or cooking food. Make a list of
how you would need to adapt your daily activities. What do you think would be some of the long-term consequences of
living without clean water? Explain.

Level 1 • Issue 5 What in the World? -4-

Level 1 • Issue 5 What in the World? -5-
Putting It All Together
A. Write the letter that corresponds to the best answer on the line beside each question:
______ 1. Neskantaga residents relocated to Attawapiskat Lake in the 1980s because:
a) they were forced to go b) they wanted to join another community there
c) the climate was better d) their old location flooded often and lacked plumbing
______ 2. The Neskantaga First Nation has needed to boil its water since:
a) 1967 b) 1980
c) 1995 d) 2005
______ 3. Who promised to end all boil-water advisories in Canada by March 2021?
a) Doug Ford b) Chrystia Freeland
c) Joe Biden d) Justin Trudeau
B. Mark the statements T (True) or F (False). If a statement is True, write one important fact to support it on the line
below. If a statement is False, write the words that make it true on the line below.
______ 4. True or False? Most of the time, the Neskantaga community can only be accessed by air.
______ 5. True or False? The Neskantaga nation has experienced the longest ongoing boil-water advisory in Canada.
______ 6. True or False? Neskantaga residents returned home in January after being evacuated in June.
C. Fill in the blanks to complete each sentence.
7. Attawapiskat Lake has high concentrations of _______________________ matter from fallen trees and plants.
8. In October, patches of _______________________ appeared in the Neskantaga water reservoir.
9. Neskantaga residents were evacuated to ______________________ ______________________ . (2)
D. Respond to the following question in paragraph form. (Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.)
10. In what ways does a lack of clean drinking water impact a community and the people who live there? Explain.

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