Dear Ms Bennett
Whether the glass is half full or half empty doesn’t matter one iota if you can’t drink the water.
I understand that there is not one solution that fits all the situations where a boil water advisory is in effect.
I understand that it is complicated and crosses places where lines of responsibility are blurred.
I understand that you are appalled by the situation.
I also understand that this would not be tolerated in other non-Indigenous communities.
As this piece by Michael Enright points out:
There is no technical reason that the problem cannot be solved. It’s all about politics, appropriations jurisdictions and will.
It is also about intention and follow through.
Ms. Bennett – you have a lot on your plate, I know, but clean water is a basic need and it is your job to make it happen. Having a reliable water source affects health, daily feelings of security and well-being.
Please make this a priority and hold all key stakeholders accountable – the federal government included – to get water to every community that is now vulnerable.
For six months of the year, my husband and I experience periodic boil water advisories in the Comox Valley. We are lucky that we don’t have a family to care for and that the water is still safe for bathing. It is still a daily reminder that we are not safe and it weighs on everyone in the community. However, we all know that it is a temporary situation and so we endure.
When this is allowed to persist in over 80 First Nations communities, this is nothing more than a disgrace.
Shame on us all.
Looking forward to seeing action on this issue.
Talk soon
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