Federal government not moving on drinking water

Canada’s federal government came in for extreme criticism in “Waterproof3, Canada’s Drinking Water Report Card,” compiled by EcoJustice. EcoJustice is an environmental advocacy group, formerly known as the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. Its report card, now in its third annual edition, is based on evaluations of a jurisdiction’s water policies, programs and legislation.

The federal government scored a failing “F” grade in the report.

“No progress has been made on the legislative front and there has been little improvement in the quality of water for First Nations communities,” says EcoJustice in its summary. It continues: “Drastic budget cuts virtually guarantee that Environment Canada will continue its inability to properly monitor water quality as described in a recent Auditor General’s report.”

Ontario and Nova Scotia were the only two provinces to score an A in the Waterproof3 report. The two provinces were praised for their strong water treatment and testing, as well as their protection of source water.

Bottom of the provincial listings were Yukon and Nunavut with a D, while British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories scored only C.