THUNDER BAY – Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and his party rose to a majority government, in part on a promise to address the third world living conditions in First Nations across Canada.

THUNDER BAY – Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and his party rose to a majority government, in part on a promise to address the third world living conditions in First Nations across Canada.



Keeping that commitment is an expensive prospect but First Nations leaders know the health cost of maintaining the status quo.



Trudeau promised to put an end to boil-water advisories on First Nations in five years, an infrastructure commitment that would cost $1.1 billion in Nishnawbe-Aski Nation territory, alone.



NAN’s most recent housing appraisal for its 49 member First Nations shows a 5,000-unit shortfall, not including the renovation and repair costs needed for existing homes. As 34 NAN communities can’t be reached by road, building those homes would be three times more expensive than erecting the same houses in Thunder Bay.



The alternative is to deny the mounting evidence that connects poor infrastructure to poor health in Ontario’s Far North.



The Auditor General of Canada’s spring report concluded remote First Nations are not only severely marginalized when it comes to health care services but Health Canada also doesn’t account for need in its budgetary process. The need is quantifiable.



A recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine showed a 75 per cent higher prevalence of rheumatic fever and other infectious diseases in the NAN territory, for example.



In 2014, two children from different NAN communities died from strep throat, a condition that is both curable and preventable.

There are 35 communities that have been under boil-water advisory in NAN territory and another 10 in neighbouring Treaty 3.



NAN Deputy Chief Terry Waboose recognizes the costs on both sides. He’s optimistic the new Liberal government will live up to its commitment.



“I think five years is still a long time,” he said.



“We have communities in Nishnawbe-Aski Nation such as Neskantaga First Nation that have been under a boil-water advisory for over 20 years. We have similar First Nations that are just as long. It’s something we need to address right away. I know it will take time. It takes a lot of resources but if the political will is there from both sides, I think we’ll be able to achieve that.”



Around 45,000 people live in NAN communities, half of whom are under the age of 30. Homes are overcrowded in many communities and there has been no coordinated response to the population boom in housing or water systems.



This summer, the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples released 13 recommendations to improve on-reserve housing and infrastructure, including developing a federal housing strategy for remote First Nations.



Waboose said beyond promises, the federal government is legally required to address the infrastructure deficit.



“They have a fiduciary responsibility to provide services on reserves,” Waboose said.



“If it hadn’t been for years of neglect, years of chronic underfunding, years of not caring for the people who live up there, the situation wouldn’t be so bad that we’re always playing catch-up. That’s not something we should tolerate or accept.”



NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler has been in contact with Trudeau’s office and the two intend to meet but no date has been scheduled.