The Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat is working with partners on a project that aims to bring clean drinking water to First Nations communities for the long-term. The sole purpose of this work is to improve the health and safety of water and wastewater systems in First Nations communities in the Atlantic Region.
Concurrently, The Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act was passed in June of 2013 by the federal government. This Act lays out areas that federal regulations should address:
- Protection for sources of drinking water;
- Location, design, construction, modification, maintenance, operations, and decommissioning of drinking water & wastewater collection;
- Training & certification;
- Treatment standards;
- Monitoring, sampling and testing;
- Collection, recording and reporting of information;
- Handling, use and disposal of wastewater treatment products;
- Emergency measures;
- Mechanisms and verification of compliance with the regulations;
- Appeal mechanisms;
- Currently regulations are being developed; and
- Implementation will be phased-in over number of years.
Access to clean drinking water has been an ongoing challenge for many First Nations communities. In efforts to understand this issue, APC sought solutions based on information gathered from the following reports: The National Assessment of First Nations Water ...
