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Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Manitoba) is once again facing a crisis with its aging and failing water treatment system. The current plant, built decades ago, is archaic and beyond repair. Replacement parts are nearly impossible to find, and repeated breakdowns leave the community at risk. Despite the tireless work of local operators who monitor the system around the clock, the plant cannot keep up with the community’s needs.
Pimicikamak leadership has long called for a new water treatment facility, a modern sewer system, and safe underground piping. Funding was secured for piping and a wastewater system, but damage may have occurred to water lines during installation, further straining the system.
“Access to safe drinking water is not a luxury, it is a basic human right, and it is a Treaty right,” said Pimicikamak Chief David Monias. “Canada has a fiduciary duty to ensure our people are not forced to live under boil water advisories or face repeated failures of an archaic system. The federal government must honour its responsibility and act now. When you talk of ‘projects of National Interest,’ then deal with this one first. Our people should not have to beg for clean water in 2025.”
The Government of Canada has previously committed funding for the development of a new water plant, but political delays including federal elections have stalled the process. Pimicikamak has been assured the money is still available, but the community continues to wait while its people endure unsafe and unreliable water service.
“Canada must stop making excuses and fulfill its legal and moral obligations to First Nations,” Chief Monias continued. “Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that every house in Canada would have clean running water by 2030. It is now 2025, and our people are still waiting. These commitments were made under the banner of the Liberal government, and First Nations across the country are holding them accountable.”
Chief David Monias emphasized that this is not just a technical issue but a human one.
“This isn’t just about pipes and plants, it’s about our families, our children, and our Elders. Every day they worry about whether the water is safe to drink or if the taps will run dry. No Canadian family should live this way, and yet our people are still being forced to. Canada must live up to its responsibility and give Pimicikamak and all First Nations the dignity of clean, reliable water.”
This is not just a Pimicikamak issue it is a national failure. Across Canada, First Nations are denied the same basic standards of safe water that all other Canadians take for granted. Canada’s fiduciary duty and Treaty promises demand more than words, they demand action, investment, and accountability. Pimicikamak stands with all First Nations who continue to fight for clean water and calls on Canada to end this ongoing injustice once and for all.