First Nation's fight for clean water stalls amid federal-provincial tensions

National Observer

07-07-2025

A remote northern Ontario First Nation's daily struggle for safe drinking water is stuck in the middle of a political fight between the federal and provincial governments.
Every morning, families of the Pikangikum First Nation wake up to a water crisis that has become routine. Most homes have no running water. Families start the day not with a shower, but with a trek to the lake — hauling buckets, breaking through ice in the winter and rationing bottled water when it's available. Even the band office relies on a decaying septic tank and water tank with no plumbing.
'Daily life is a very, very long day simply because people don't have a direct water source,' said Carolina Budiman, senior health project manager and spokesperson for the community.
Pikangikum has lived under a boil water advisory for over two decades. Last month, the only working water pump failed again, pushing the community into another state of emergency. Across Canada, 37 long-term boil water advisories remain in effect as of May 30, most of them in Ontario.
The federal government has promised change, preparing to reintroduce a clean water bill for First Nations. This legislation, previously known as Bill C-61, would set national standards for drinking water and wastewater on First Nation lands, clarify which government is responsible, and require Ottawa to provide ongoing, adequate funding. For Pikangikum, this could finally mean moving from temporary fixes to real solutions.
But now Alberta and Ontario are pushing back, asking Ottawa to drop the bill.
In a letter to the federal environment minister, Alberta's Rebecca Schulz and Ontario's Todd McCarthy argued the bill would 'undermine competitiveness, delay project development and disproportionately harm specific provinces and territories without any quantifiable benefits to the natural environment.' They warned the new rules could create more regulatory hurdles and slow economic activity.
'Daily life is a very, very long day simply because people don't have a direct water source,' said Carolina Budiman, senior health project manager and spokesperson for Pikangikum.
Livi McElrea, spokesperson for Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, reaffirmed the government's intention to go ahead with Bill C-61 in a statement provided to Canada's National Observer.
'Everyone in Canada should have access to safe and clean drinking water. That's why our new government has committed to introduce and pass legislation that affirms First Nations have a human right to clean drinking water. To be clear — we intend to introduce this legislation this fall to advance this important commitment,' McElrea wrote.
She said the legislation was developed through engagement with First Nations from 2018 to 2024 and will continue to be shaped by their feedback.
'We call on all Parliamentarians, Provinces, and Territories to support this critical legislation to ensure that First Nations have access to clean drinking water,' McElrea said.
But the opposition from Ontario and Alberta has added more uncertainty to Pikangikum's situation.
'This kind of political opposition just signals to the communities that even the modest improvements will be met with delay, and that puts people's health and safety at risk every single day,' said Natalie Clyke, a community advocate.
'It signals that First Nation health is still negotiable.'
Paddy Peters, chief of the nation, is frustrated.
'The government is still punishing us, and our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are needlessly suffering from the government's lack of response and taking their grand old time in using band-aid solutions to keep our community under submission,' he said in a written response to questions from Canada's National Observer.
Clyke said that delaying the bill undermines the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
Instead of getting the long-term upgrades they need, communities like Pikangikum are stuck with paperwork and temporary repairs.
In May, Pikangikum announced it is taking the federal government to court, seeking $2 billion in damages and $200 million in emergency relief for urgent repairs at its water treatment plant.
Requests for reimbursement and immediate help have gone unanswered, said Budiman.
'Nothing changes,' Peters said. 'Canada makes repeated promises for improvements that never come. Our people live in conditions that would shock most Canadians and we are told to keep studying the problem.'
The failing wastewater system is contaminating both the lake and the treated water reservoir, putting more than 4,000 residents at risk.
Most families in Pikangikum First Nation continue to gather their water daily from the lake. In winter, they cut through the ice and melt the ice blocks over a fire to use at home.
'And it's not like a story that we all have shared growing up, that we went out to the lake ... so that you could bathe yourself,' Clyke said.
Some elders recovering from surgery are staying in hotels just to access showers. Water use also remains heavily restricted.
'They're actually regulating their own water usage. Forget the bath — there's no such thing as a bathtub. They're not taking daily showers, and they're not cooking or cleaning with clean water,' Budiman said.
The community relies on shipped-in products for hygiene, resulting in significant plastic waste.
'We have to ship in Lysol wipes and Pampers wipes. People are using those diaper wipes for their daily hygiene, along with bottled water. So we have a lot of plastic bottles — these are byproducts of having to live with insufficient water supply,' Budiman said.
Pikangikum's challenges echo those in other First Nations communities, where safe water is still not guaranteed despite years of attention and investment.
'There's no reason that in a country as wealthy and strong as this, we cannot provide those services to all communities,' said Ken Coates, professor of Indigenous governance at Yukon University. 'What Canada should do, must do, is commit to every community in the country and legally establish that [Indigenous communities] have access to the same level of services that urban communities take for granted.'
Pikangikum advocates say the commitment to bring C-61 to the House of Commons is a step forward, but they want more than promises. They want a guarantee that their chief and other First Nations will have a seat at the table as the legislation moves ahead.