Pikangikum First Nation Sign - (File Photo)
Pikangikum First Nation has declared a state of emergency due to the state of the community’s water and wastewater infrastructure.
According to the First Nation, the community’s Chief and Council have been forced to implement daily water conservation measures to prevent the closure of critical facilities, including the community’s only school.
On Thursday, the First Nation filed a motion in Federal Court for emergency relief from the Government of Canada.
“When we met with Canada in February this year, I implored ISC to provide with real long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes, but even the temporary fixes they won’t address,” explained Pikangikum Chief Paddy Peters. “Nothing changes. Canada makes repeated promises for improvements that never come. Meanwhile, the health of our people is at risk every day. They live in conditions that would shock most Canadians, and we are told to keep studying the problem.”
This is not the first issue involving water in recent years that the First Nation has had to overcome.
The community has experienced multiple long and short-term drinking water advisories, including from October 2000 to July 2002, and from October 2005 to September 2019.
The most recent advisory occurred in February 2024 and remains in effect.
Pikangikum has been forced to declare states of emergency in 2000, 2011 and 2015, all due to the lack of potable or running water.
“When I was thirty years old, I was first elected to office as Chief. At that time, I did not have running water or a washroom in my home,” noted Chief Peters. “I am now sixty-eight, and again as the Chief, I still do not have running water or a washroom in my home. Can you imagine? The Chief of one of the largest First Nations in this area has no running water or indoor washroom facilities!”
“Each day, everyone in my household has to wash from the same bowl of water. This is same situation for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and my entire community. In 2025, our people still draw their drinking water from the lake because there is no trust that our treated water is safe to drink. For decades, we have waited for Canada. It’s inhumane to make our people wait any longer.”
In February 2025, a technical assessment of the community’s infrastructure recommended a series of urgent repairs and upgrades just to preserve the status quo.
According to the community, their request for immediate federal assistance to complete those repairs remains unanswered by Indigenous Services Canada.
The First Nation is home to roughly 4,000 residents.
