this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2024
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There is a community outside Toronto where most people can’t drink their tap water. Patience is running out. (newsinteractives.cbc.ca)
submitted 2 months ago by brianpeiris@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca
11 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Ellie’s home, like most in Six Nations, isn’t connected to municipal water. On the sprawling reserve in Southwestern Ontario, roughly 70 per cent of households, or about 8,500 people, are without piped, reliable drinking water.

The Six Nations reserve is a 1 hour 20 minute drive West from Niagara

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[–] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Outside Toronto? ... how about over 50 remote and semi remote Native reserves in northern Ontario that either have undrinkable, almost undrinkable, distasteful, questionable or downright dangerous running water for their household.

All this in a supposed first world modern province of Canada.

[–] brianpeiris@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago

Thanks for calling that out. I'm sure it's a complex problem, especially for remote reserves. I just found out about this organisation who seem to be actively tackling part of the problem https://waterfirst.ngo/

[–] northmaple1984@lemmy.ca -5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This is fucking stupid. I have lived around this area for my entire life and literally everyone who doesn't live on a reserve (and isn't part of an actual town) have wells or cisterns that were paid with privately.

The only thing stopping someone from getting their own well would be if the ground water isn't available (very low probability that everyone around the reserve has ground water but the reserve doesn't) or that the ground water is contaiminted (also very low probability for the same reason as before, and especially because contamination that bad would have a huge affect downstream in the Grand River).

Like shit, I have both a well and a cistern, as do all my neighbours around me... If someone could explain why wells and cisterns don't work on this particular reserve I'd really appreciate it.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Well, the first thing would be that you own your own land. That is not the case on reserve land. No one owns their own home or land there, nor can they. That means no equity or ability to take out a second mortgage to fund digging a well or install a cistern.

It would behoove you to read up on the Indian Act and how it works, what/who it controls and the limitations First Nations people face because of it.

[–] northmaple1984@lemmy.ca -3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In what world do you need a second mortgage for a well or cistern? You could do it with an unsecured line of credit unless you're an idiot and destroyed your credit rating.

[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago

And again ... It would behoove you to read up on the Indian Act and how it works, what/who it controls and the limitations First Nations people face because of it.

[–] Arkouda@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

This is fucking stupid. I have lived around this area for my entire life and literally everyone who doesn’t live on a reserve (and isn’t part of an actual town) have wells or cisterns that were paid with privately.

The only thing stopping someone from getting their own well would be if the ground water isn’t available (very low probability that everyone around the reserve has ground water but the reserve doesn’t) or that the ground water is contaiminted (also very low probability for the same reason as before, and especially because contamination that bad would have a huge affect downstream in the Grand River).

If someone could explain why wells and cisterns don’t work on this particular reserve I’d really appreciate it.

I would assume it is because the Federal Government is responsible for water on the reserve, which is pretty standard information in Canada, and those living on the reserve don't have the authority to privately install anything.

I am happy to hear that you and your neighbors have the means to privately install personal well's and cisterns on your property, but this is clearly a different situation.