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Southern Ontario First Nation chief hails funding to end 12-year water advisories
OTTAWA — The chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation says new funding from the federal government will allow his nation to lift five long-term drinking water advisories.
Chief R. Donald Maracle says many members of his community in southern Ontario have been suffering from the lack of access to safe and clean water due to fecal, bacteria and algae contaminations since 2008.
He says the construction of eight-kilometre long water pipes has started after his nation received $16.7 million from Ottawa for the project.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a year-end interview with The Canadian Press he realized only recently his government would not deliver on its long-held promise to lift all drinking-water advisories in First Nations communities by March 2021, adding that COVID-19 restrictions have blocked access to certain communities.