There’s a community outside Toronto where most people don’t trust their tap water

In addition to annual funding, the federal Liberal government has contributed around $15 million toward water main extensions in the community since the water plant was built in 2014.

Six Nations has made several investments of its own totalling about $4 million.

Currently, water service is concentrated to homes in the northern part of the community, closest to the water treatment plant. The estimated cost to extend the water mains to the remaining parts of the northern area would be $60 million.

That would still leave most of the southern part of the reserve without water service. Addressing that gap would likely involve extending lines from neighbouring counties since the Six Nations water treatment plant doesn’t have capacity to serve the entire population.

In a statement, Indigenous Services Canada spokesperson Jacinthe Goulet acknowledged “the need to bring transformational change” and pointed to new legislation as one of the steps they are taking.

Bill C-61, also called the First Nations Clean Water Act, is being touted by the federal government as legislation that will establish the tools and standards necessary to ensure clean drinking water on First Nations lands.

Goulet also reiterated that Canada has invested millions to ensure residents of Six Nations “have access to safe drinking water, either through piped connections to their homes, trucked delivery to cisterns, or fill stations located throughout the community.”

Montour said that approach leaves residents living with the daily stress of not knowing when their water will run out.