Aboriginal water issues

Water representation for first nation people Water is very important to their value system and must be taken care of Water is to be RESPECTED It is considered a living entity There is a spiritual connection with water “Give thanks, through a drink of water in the morning, for life”

What is the issue? Aboriginals are struggling to find clean drinkable water as the water from the lakes and rivers where they live is unsanitary The solutions the Government provides is not sufficient Out of date water treatment plants that constantly need to be fixed Excessive chlorine levels that are put in the water to kill bacteria give people rashes The 2 liters of water everyone gets per day is not enough They have had no progress in 18 years (in Attawapaskat) There is no SUSTAINABLE solution being offered that doesn’t require lots of funding

Lack of infrastructure Part of the problem: Lack of infrastructure INFRASTRUCURE: The basic physical systems of a nation ; Transportation (ex; TTC) Sewage systems Water systems Electric systems. These are costly investments but are necessary to a country’s economic development and prosperity Where is people, profit, planet in infrastructure? What parts of infrastructure are they lacking? Examples from in the article?

What is the government doing? Ask students what they think the gov’t is doing to solve the problem

The right to drinkable water- who’s in charge? This is a Provincial Government issue First Nation rights are, however, under Federal jurisdiction Implementing “Band aid” solutions Bill S-8 is was in Parliament for Drinkable water rights for Native Americans Bill S8 just passes the responsibility onto provincial responsibility

What is a band aid solution? What is the Band aid solution being applied to the aboriginal water issues? Temporary solution Does not actually deal with the problem Makes people think action is being taken when it’s not Covering up the problem instead of solving it Flying in cases of bottled water Ask students what the gov’t solution actually is based on the article Where else have you seen band aid solutions? What are some examples? Using excessive amounts of chlorine to kill diseases in the water

What is a boil water advisory? A notification issued saying you have to boil your water so that it is safe to use For drinking For laundry For showering Etc. There is often bacteria or some sort of contamination that will make you sick What is in the water in Neskantaga, Ontario? (Article)

A to do sheet for when you are put under a boil water advisory

This is not a priority for the government They are using band aid solutions that do not work because… This is not a priority for the government The Government has applied these solutions so they do not have to spend money on building new treatment plants The Government is not funding a proper solution The treatment plants break down easily and need new equipment to change out the sand regularly which takes over a week to get because of accessibility They send cases of water and put chlorine in the water which are not sustainable solutions They become concerned when it affects the economy: In the community of Neskantaga, the Government wants to mine chromite for over 150 years but if they do not first build a proper water treatment facility, the same problems will arise

Case study- Neskantaga, Attawapiskat They cannot drink the water from the lake The community has been on a boil water advisory since 1994 Their water treatment facility is outdated and too expensive to up keep Their reverse osmosis machine no longer works The chlorine being put into the water to kill disease is causing rashes Lets watch the video!...

What is an actual solution? Ask student possible solutions- Real water solutions Leads into video