Boil-Water Advisories and Federal (In)Action: The Politics of Potable Water in Pikangikum First Nation

Abstract

In 2000, water systems failed in both Walkerton, Ontario, and Pikangikum First Nation. After deaths in Walkerton, the Ontario provincial government responded with an inquiry and increased regulation. Although the Walkerton Inquiry was tasked only with reviewing provincial water regulation, it none the less exposed longstanding systemic problems with the provision of safe drinking water on reserves in Northern Ontario. This led the federal government to develop a series of new protocols for the management of water on reserves. These protocols have failed abjectly, however, a fact illustrated by events in Pikangikum, where the water problem, 17 years later, remains unsolved. The difference in the standard of care provided in Walkerton and Pikangikum reflects colonialism, racism, and a fundamental failure of the federal government to live up to its constitutional responsibilities.