Neskantaga First Nations 540 residents were evacuated due to a lack of clean water, affecting the most vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Net News Ledger, this evacuation is the second in just over a year that Neskantaga Chief Chris Moonias has had to carry out. The last one took place in September of 2019 when the entire community had to leave after the water pump of a new plant failed.

[Source: Neskantaga First Nation]

Chief Moonias said on Twitter that the reserve’s over 25-year old boil water advisory, one of Canada’s longest, has now escalated to a Do Not Consume Water Advisory due to high levels of hydrocarbon.

According to Global News Canada, the advisory was briefly lifted in 1993 when the original water plant was built, but went back into effect in 1995 with its ensuing problems.

“People can’t figure out how to get the water running 24/7 to community homes,” Chief Moonias said. “[There is] no definite date when the 271 community members are able to go home.”

The evacuation began Oct. 20, with some of the residents flown to Thunder Bay to stay in hotels.

Over 120 residents evacuated the following day, among them the elderly, infants and people with chronic health conditions, said Chief Moonias.

“Many people from Neskantaga were reluctant to leave the community because of the risk of catching COVID-19 outside the First Nation, but their health needs and deteriorating living conditions were forcing them out,” said Chief Moonias.

Those who have stayed behind have no choice but to use bottled water or go out on thin ice to collect lake water, he said.

Message from Bee Moonias #endbwa #dowenotmatter #arewenothuman #systemicracism #waterislife #neskantagafn #TreatiesRecognitionWeek #CanadaLongestBoilWaterAdvisory #25YearsBWA #fixourwater #WaterIsLife pic.twitter.com/0lUnTtPNAH

— Christopher Moonias (@can_ndn) November 4, 2020

[Source: Twitter, Bess Moonias]

According to an update by the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the reserve’s school is also shut down due to the faulty plumbing affected by turning the water on and off.

Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation said in his letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the lack of access to water has affected every part of the community.

“There is no water to bathe. No water to flush the toilets, the nursing station, the band office, the school,” he said.

The greater concern is that the COVID-19 pandemic is leaving a remote community like the Neskantaga First Nation vulnerable and exposed to higher risks, he said.

According to Chief Moonias’ Twitter, he expressed great concern at the breakout of 21 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in Thunder Bay and how it could affect those evacuating there. “This is scary for my people. I’ve asked for exclusivity for the hotel so I can lockdown and keep my people safe.”

A post-confederation Treaty No. 9 territory, the Neskantaga First Nation is nestled along the shores of the Attawapiskat Lake in the District of Kenora, around 430 km northeast of Thunder Bay. Its James Bay Treaty was signed in 1905 by the Province that allowed for Nations to co-exist, granting them certain rights and permissions.

The reserve’s boil water advisory was put in place in 1995, making it the longest standing advisory and depriving the community of safe drinking water for a quarter of a century.

After participating in a phone call Oct. 21 with officials from the Ministry of Indigenous Services of Canada, it was concluded that there was no public health emergency and no support for the evacuation would be given by the federal government, he said.

“This is a public health crisis, and the government is looking for every excuse and pushing back at every turn,” said Chief Moonias.

“It is unacceptable that government officials refuse to declare this as an emergency,” Chief Fidder said. “The people of Neskantaga need to be supported in every way possible.”

The water shut down on Oct. 19 came after an oily sheen was discovered on the surface of the water in the reservoir, which is when it escalated to a Do Not Consume Advisory, said Chief Moonias. The advisory was preceded by a shut-down of water service to homes on Oct. 8 when the reservoir had low water levels.

Indigenous Services Canada defines boil water advisory as one where communities need to boil all water for at least one minute before drinking, brushing their teeth, or cooking, and not to use tap water to bathe infants, toddlers, or the elderly.

Even under the boil water advisory, residents suffer from chronic headaches, skin rashes and stomach problems. According to The Narwhal, Neskantaga residents’ tap water is yellow, looks more like tea, and can make residents itchy for over an hour.

Pix are of an unxknown sheen found in the water reservoir in Neskantaga #FirstNations forcing the shut-down of #water. Full story 2 come tomorrow – Oct 20, 2020 #boilwateradvisory #onpoli #COVID19Ontario #Indigenous #SDOH #UnsafeSeptember #EducationForAll #onted #NativeTwitter pic.twitter.com/YKRMY09unE

— Matawa ᒪᑕᐧᐊ (@MatawaFNM) October 20, 2020

A water treatment plant was constructed in 2016, but there have been delays and equipment failures resulting in a total shut down in 2019.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to eliminate long-term water advisories, classified as those in place for more than a year, on First Nations by March of 2021. The number has since nearly halved, from 105 to 56, according to government data.

However, this does not account for territories and reserves in British Columbia, as well as those First Nations whose long term advisories have been lifted only to be replaced by short term advisories according to research done by Global News Canada.

[Source Why some First Nations still don’t have clean drinking water — despite Trudeau’s promise – National | Globalnews.ca]

Additionally, Globe and Mail’s Investigative Data Journalist Matt McClearn found in his risk scores analysis that the budgets First Nations are given to operate their water facilities are much lower than those given to municipalities of the same size. –FEATURE QUOTE
“In 2016, I listened to former Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett promising that Neskantaga would have clean drinking water in 2018,” said Chief Moonias. “That was another promise broken.”

While Canada is one of the world’s most water-rich countries, First Nations such as Neskantaga are deprived access to its resources, a human right as recognized by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/292.

According to the Human Rights Watch, the severe and prolonged nature of these water advisories are concerning, especially during the pandemic when clean water is necessary to staying healthy.

[Source: UN Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication https://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/pdf/facts_and_figures_human_right_to_water_eng.pdf ]

Dawn Martin Hill, an Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies and a Mohawk woman living in the Six Nations of the Grand River, said in an online panel that the boil water advisories have roots dating back to colonialism.

[by Zainab Merchant from online event CLIMATE CHANGE: An Overview of Canada’s Water Crisis]

The government didn’t give much thought to infrastructure or where they sent people to be relocated, Hill said. “People were coerced into these settlements that were isolated, assuming that we were going to die out and that the children who would go to residential schools would assimilate, but that fell apart.”

The lack of infrastructure has affected generations till today where residents carry a great burden accessing clean water, Hill said.

“You can’t take out loans when you’re on Crown land; some call it economic apartheid, because your land has no equity. Nobody buys our water for us, and it can cost $200-300 a month depending on how big your family is, ” she said.

Neskantaga First Nation is one of the plaintiffs in a class action suit against the federal government over its long standing boil water advisory.