WC128 JanFeb2023 - Magazine - Page 19
Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation, Protest: Getty Images
OFNTSC’s Circuit Rider
Training Supervisor,
Shayne Dale (left),
checks out the Scugog
First Nation's Water
Treatment Plant with
two operators from
Scugog First Nation.
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
they later reversed course to adopt a document that has, in many
respects, helped drive challenges to colonialism and its often
damaging legacies with a view of promoting the wellbeing, dignity, and survival of Indigenous people and cultures.
In Decolonizing Water Governance, the OFNTSC proposes
a two-pronged approach to decolonizing water governance in
Ontario. The first puts forward short- to medium-term reforms
that would fill regulatory gaps, end boil water advisories, and
increase funding for training, operations and maintenance, and
infrastructure. The second looks to restore jurisdiction so that
the management of systems aligns with Indigenous knowledge,
customs, traditions, and self-determination.
“Contrary to what federal policy would suggest, the water crisis is not a project management issue: it is an Indigenous rights,
human rights, and sustainability issue,” the paper articulates.
“For decades, the government has invested money to address this
issue, yet the crisis persists. It is clear that the status quo must be
abandoned.”
The paper acknowledges that the OFNTSC is not a
rights-holder and has no mandate to speak on behalf of Ontario
First Nations. In fact, the authors point out that their organization is funded by and answers to Indigenous Services Canada
(ISC). However, the authors say the OFNTSC’s duty to provide
technical services to Ontario First Nations compels it to advocate
for a new model and way forward based on self-determination.
WATER C AN ADA • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2023
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