The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is drawing attention to a new federal auditor general report that warns how little has been done to amend operations and maintenance funding formulas for First Nations water systems over three decades.
AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde, who last week hosted a national virtual gathering focused on water protection, announced that urgent action is required to end long-term boil water advisories on First Nations reserves and achieve “water certainty.”
“While there has been some progress to address, and end, boil water advisories, currently more than 50 remain, and one is too many. I continue to urge the federal government to work together with First Nations to implement long-term solutions that will provide water certainty for our children and families,” announced Bellegarde, who called for sustained investments in water treatment and water distribution.
The new auditor general report, Access to Safe Drinking Water in First Nations, states that Indigenous Services Canada must identify the amount of funding needed by First Nations and amend existing policy to provide sufficient funding to operate and maintain drinking water infrastructure.
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“Indigenous Services Canada had not amended the operations and maintenance funding formula for First Nations water systems since it was first developed 30 years ago and a salary gap contributed to problems in retaining qualified water system operators,” states the report by Auditor General Karen Hogan.
Hogan told a news conference last week that she was “honestly disheartened” by the federal government’s inability to resolve the outstanding water issues for First Nations.
The funding formula, which dates back to 1987, was updated annually for inflation but did not keep pace with advances in technology or the actual costs of operating and maintaining infrastructure, the report states.
In terms of water system operators, the auditor general referred to a 2018 departmental study that showed the salaries of water system operators in First Nations communities were 30% lower than their counterparts elsewhere.
Indigenous Services Canada Minister Marc Miller recently announced that the government would not meet its March 2021 target to end long-term boil water advisories. To date, some 60 long-term advisories remain in place across Canada; however, Miller said about half of the remaining advisories may be resolved by month’s end. The remaining half could be addressed as soon as fall 2021.
Since 2016, the federal government has invested more than $3.5 billion into supporting access to clean water in First Nations communities.
