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Dozens of boil water advisories have been issued in Alberta First Nations communities, one after E. coli was detected at a daycare, others after mice were found in water tanks.

In all, Health Canada has issued 56 drinking water advisories affecting First Nations communities in Alberta since April 2015 — more than the 52 orders Alberta Health Services made for the rest of the province over the same time period.

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Most of the Health Canada advisories have ended, but 11 remained in place as of May 31. Five have been in effect for at least five years.

It’s “a regular thing, nothing surprising anymore,” Sucker Creek First Nation Chief James Badger said of advisories in his community.

Water concerns prompted Sucker Creek and three other Alberta First Nations to launch a lawsuit in 2014 against the federal government, claiming Canada breached its duties to provide First Nations with safe drinking water.

That lawsuit will continue until their systems are upgraded, Badger said.

In its 2016 budget, the federal government committed $2.2 billion over five years to improve on-reserve water and waste water systems. So far, just 1.6 per cent of that, or $35.6 million, has been allocated to Alberta.