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Safe Drinking Water

Providing clean, safe and reliable drinking water is key to healthy First Nations communities. This is a shared responsibility as part of the First Nations Water & Wastewater Action Plan between Indian & Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), Health Canada and First Nations. Working collaboratively and in partnership, using a multi-barrier approach, is a critical step to ensure health of Atlantic First Nation communities.

An Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water heard from various First Nations organizations on August 14-15, 2006 in Halifax.  The Expert Panel was mandated by the Government of Canada to address drinking water issue and to explore and provide options for a regulatory framework to ensure that safe drinking water is achievable in First Nation communities.

The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs gave a presentation to the Panel of Experts on potential issues associated with any regulatory regime.  For instance, issues highlighted regarding the regulatory regime would place First Nations liable for their water facilities and the need to upgrade water facilities prior to looking at legislation.  Basically, the Expert Panel heard that sound water management from source-to-tap requires adequate and sustainable funding.

The Expert Panel Report was released in November 2006 providing options for regulating water quality in First Nation communities.  The expert panel held public hearing across Canada over the summer of 2006 and produced two volumes of information (Volume 1, Volume 2).

Links:

• The Canadian Standards Association submitted a report to the Expert Panel on Safe Drinking Water in First Nations communities.
• The Final Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples:  Safe Drinking Water for First Nations was produced in May 2007.
• INAC has a water portal site with links related to investments in infrastructure, enforceable standards and protocols, and capacity and training.
• Health Canada's brochure on Protecting the Water in your Pipes describes the role of disinfection, including chlorine disinfection, in ensuring safe drinking water.
• Health Canada's Environmental Public Health Services website provides information on its drinking water and wastewater responsibilities.
• The Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality were published by Health Canada on behalf of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water.
• The Procedure for Addressing Drinking Water Advisories in First Nations Communities South of 60° provides guidance to Chief and Council and other involved stakeholders on how to efficiently address the underlying causes of a Drinking Water Advisory after it has been issued.
• The Government of Canada's First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan is led by INAC and Health Canada.
• The Assembly of First Nations website describes its policies on water and wastewater treatment in First Nations communities across Canada.
• In 2003, INAC produced a National Assessment of Water and Wastewater Systems in First Nations Communities. An updated National Assessment is expected to be released in 2011.
• Bill S-11 is The Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act, a proposed federal law respecting the safety of drinking water on First Nations lands. The Bill provides for the development of federal regulations governing the provision of drinking water, water quality standards, and the disposal of wastewater in First Nations communities. 
• INAC's website provides information on Engagement Sessions on the Development of a Proposed Legislative Framework for Drinking Water and Wastewater in First Nation Communities.

Multi-Barrier Approach

The key to ensuring clean, safe and reliable drinking water is to understand the drinking water supply from the source all the way to the consumer's tap. A multi-barrier approach helps to minimizing threats to water quality includes selecting the best available source (e.g., lake, river, aquifer) and protecting it from contamination, using effective water treatment, and preventing water quality deterioration in the distribution system. Regular monitoring is conducted to verify the effectiveness of source water protection, water treatment and drinking water distribution.

Links:

• The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has a "Source to Tap" portal related to water quality protection.
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Resources for First Nations Water Operators

Links:

• In 2010, the National Collaborating Centres for Public Health, which are funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, developed the Circuit Rider Training Program for Water Operators report on the Circuit Riders Training Program (CRTP) for water operators as it relates to small drinking water systems across Canada.