More Than 140 First Nations Still Lack Access To Safe Drinking Water

Photo: Paganakomin Lake is seen in Kigian Zibi Algonquin First Nation in 2011. The region’s well water is contaminated with uranium. (Photo: Francis Vachon/CP)

Anishinabe artist and writer Jay Odjick took to Twitter Monday to call out the lack of clean drinking water on many First Nations in Canada. Odjick, a TV producer and comics creator, tweeted that his community hasn’t had clean drinking water for decades.

In My community, Kitigan Zibi – we have not had clean drinking water for over 30 years, as far as I know.

Jay Odjick (@JayOdjick) March 20, 2017

Residents of the Quebec community haven’t been able to use their tap water for cooking, drinking or brushing their teeth since 1999. But uranium was found in the drinking water as early as 1993. It took six years for Health Canada to issue the 1999 advisory, after members of the community expressed concern that people were getting cancer, according to a report by the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada.

Can’t boil away radiation. Most homes have bottled water; water coolers. So we dont drink it but we wash in it. Wash our babies in it. — Jay Odjick (@JayOdjick) March 20, 2017

The federal government’s 2016 budget announced $1.8 billion to improve on-reserve water infrastructure over […]

Full article: More Than 140 First Nations Still Lack Access To Safe Drinking Water

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