GLIN==> New national drinking water report - Walkerton's Lessons Poorly Learned

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO – Ten years after Walkerton, Canadians remain at risk of waterborne
disease outbreaks as a growing divide emerges between those who have access
to safe drinking water and those that do not.

Ecojustice and Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) have issued Seeking
Water Justice: Strengthening Legal Protection for Canada’s Drinking Water, a
national brief on the status of drinking water quality in Canada. The paper
reveals a two tiered system of drinking water management where urban centres
benefit from better standards, technology and personnel while rural and
first nations communities remain at risk due to inadequate infrastructure,
patchwork provincial laws, and a lack of binding drinking water standards
from the federal government.

The report is endorsed by Assembly of First Nations and National Specialty
Society for Community Medicine.

“Walkerton and Kashechewan demonstrated the risks involved with poor water
management,” said Ecojustice Staff Lawyer Randy Christensen. “That risk
remains, especially in rural and First Nations communities.”

Canada remains one of the few industrialized countries without national
legally binding drinking water standards. Only four jurisdictions – Ontario,
Quebec, Alberta and Nova Scotia – boast drinking water that meets the
current voluntary federal standards. Other communities do not fare as well:

• Latest available data shows that 1776 drinking water advisories are in
place in Canada.

• As of April 30th, 116 First nations communities were under Drinking Water
Advisory for risk of waterborne contaminants

• 20%-40% of all rural wells have coliform or nitrate concentrations in
excess of drinking water guidelines, threatening citizens with illness or
even in severe cases, death.

• Less than half of Canadian provinces and territories require “advanced”
treatment of surface water, which is standard practice in the European Union
and the United States.

“It’s unacceptable for a wealthy country in the 21st century to have these
sorts of problems,” said FLOW Program Coordinator Nancy Goucher. “Canadians
deserve and demand better leadership to ensure safe drinking water for their
families.”

“Every family in Canada should have access to clean, safe drinking water as
a fundamental human right," said Assembly of First Nations National Chief
Shawn A-in-chut Atleo. "Similar to the findings of the Expert Panel on Safe
Drinking Water for First Nations, the Seeking Water Justice report, outlines
solid steps that can be taken toward ensuring safe drinking water in First
Nation communities. This includes working with First Nations in full
partnership to identify solutions, such as developing national water
standards and ensuring stable and sustainable funding supports to address
gaps in infrastructure and training at the community level."

The Report calls for strong federal water standards that meet or exceed the
current best practices in other industrialized countries, to extend those
standards to all communities, and to ensure adequate resources for the
safety of drinking water on First Nations reserves.

For a copy of the executive summary of Seeking Water Justice, click
here<http://www.flowcanada.org/library/documents>.
For a copy of the full report, email Nancy Goucher <nancy at flowcanada.org>.

*For more information contact*:

Randy Christensen, Staff Lawyer, Ecojustice (647) 654-2156

Nancy Goucher, Program Coordinator, Forum for Leadership on Water (647)
891-0338

Karyn Pugliese, Acting Director, Communications, Assembly of First Nations
613-241-6789 ext 210



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Nancy Goucher, M.E.S.
Program Coordinator
Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW)
215 Spadina Ave, Suite 400
Toronto ON  M5T 2C7

Visit our new website! www.flowcanada.org
647-891-0338
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