CEGC 3: Access to safe water in all communities: Neskantaga First Nation & Toronto
Neskantaga First Nation
Water Crisis in Neskantaga First Nation
Canada is known for its incredible water resources. While most communities have access to safe drinking water, there are some communities without access to safe drinking water. In January 2023, there were 29 First Nation communities remaining under long-term drinking water advisory (Government of Canada, 2021). The Neskantaga First Nation, situated approximately 450 kilometers North of Thunder Bay, has been placed on a boil water advisory since 1995 (Government of Canada (2021), Stefanovich (2020)). Using funding from the federal government, the Neskantaga First Nation is approaching completion of a project to upgrade and build an expansion of the existing water treatment system. Remaining work focuses on finalizing the construction of the new water treatment system project and addressing technical and operational deficiencies.
References
- Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. Neskantaga First Nation. 2024-08-23. https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1614887856664/1614887885919.
- Stefanovich, O. December 17, 2020. After evacuating twice over tainted water, Neskantaga residents plan their return home | CBC News. CBC news. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/neskantaga-plans-return-home-water-crisis-1.5840308.
Toronto
Rainfall Management
The city of Toronto, located on the shore of Lake Ontario, is the most populated city in Canada. The city possesses an outdated infrastructure which uses a combined system to handle storm water and sewage. When there are intense rainfalls, the amount of rainfalls may exceed the capacity of the system and overflow of the combined sewer system may happen where untreated sewage could be discharged into locations such as the Don River watershed and potentially in Lake Ontario (Toronto and Region Conservation Authority). The Don River watershed, which stretches almost 38 kilometers, is highly urbanized with the preponderance of paved surfaces limiting the availability of soil and vegetation to absorb additional water caused by the rainfalls. These circumstances may affect the quality of the Don river.
References
- City of Toronto. Combined Sewers Overflow. n.d.. Available: https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/managing-rain-melted-snow/what-is-stormwater-where-does-it-go/combined-sewer-overflows/.
- Toronto and Region and Conservation Authority. n.d. https://trca.ca/conservation/watershed-management/don-river/.
