This First Nation has been under a boil water advisory for 19 years. Now, it's declared a state of emergency
CBC
A remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario that has been under a boil water advisory for 19 years has declared a state of emergency over recent contamination within its water supply.
Marten Falls First Nation's chief and council issued the emergency declaration on Monday following a sewage spill on Friday.
The community's wastewater lift system is broken, and raw sewage is spewing into a creek that goes directly into the Albany River, explained Chief Bruce Achneepineskum.
"It's outdated, it's too small for the community, and we've had [an] engineering report done on our wastewater system, highlighting that this has to be changed," Achneepineskum said of the lift system, which was built nearly 30 years ago.
The First Nation cannot use the water for cooking or drinking. Community members have been complaining of rashes on their bodies, though the cause has not been officially linked to the sewage spill, he said.
Marten Falls is an Anishinaabe community located about 400 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. Fewer than 400 people live there. The community previously declared a state of emergency in September 2021 after its water treatment plant failed.
A boil water advisory was first issued for the Marten Falls Public Water System in July 2005, which became long-term in July 2006. A new water treatment system was commissioned in June 2019, according to Indigenous Services Canada's (ISC) website.
"ISC is working with the community to address additional concerns about meeting the community's current and future safe drinking water needs. A project is underway to address issues with the raw water intake, scheduled to be complete in fall 2024," the department says on a webpage last updated in October.
The plan was for the First Nation to lift the boil water advisory once that work was done, but there are still concerns with the community's water supply.
In 2022, ISC stopped funding the provision of bottled water in the community, Achneepineskum said.
"We continue to fly in bottled water at our own cost," he said. "I don't know why [ISC] cut off our funding for water."
CBC News has reached out to ISC for comment. This story will be updated once a response is received.
Marten Falls has three key asks for "the responsible authorities," the community said in a statement issued Monday:
Achneepineksum told CBC News on Tuesday that he was arranging a meeting with the federal government to discuss his concerns.
Experts are constantly warning the public to be on guard for new and increasingly convincing scams, but police say the holiday shopping season is especially fraught with risk.
A surgeon who used to work at Flin Flon's hospital says residents in the northwestern Manitoba city have been left in a precarious situation after more than five years without general surgery services.
Moubarak Bokhit Ali's memories of his home country of Sudan are punctuated by flashes of violence.
The man behind the Moose Jaw health centre that has claimed “a 100 per cent success rate in stopping the progression and in restoring function of people with ALS” says a recent CBC story about his company is evidence that he is seen as “a direct threat to the ALS drug industry.”
The Neighbour to Neighbour Centre’s trans and non-binary grocery program, which offers free food and household products to community members once a month, began with a simple question: how do we get free menstrual products to trans people without being awkward?
Bill Van Vugt is living a life that's unlike most other people his age, and one which has seen him turn a longtime hobby into championship gold.
The provincial government is taking steps toward improving Alberta's lucrative sand and gravel industry.
As medical labs across Ontario remain understaffed, one medical association is calling on the province to expand labs’ capacity for student placements by funding positions to train them.
The year wrapping up means it's getting closer to tax season, and the federal Community Volunteer Income Tax Program will once again be offering free filing services for Islanders with modest incomes.
It's not so easy to remove a politician from office between elections in Canada.
Natasha Martin-Mitchell says creating art gives her a sense of calmness that acts as a medicine during stressful times.
Gabriel Vilardi scored twice and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 24 saves in his first game back from injury to power the Jets to a 5-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg's three-game losing skid.
Alberta’s auditor general Doug Wylie says his office's budget will be $1.5 million short next fiscal year.