It’s time Thunder Bay, Ontario, and all of Canada reckon with the long-standing neglect of First Nations health and infrastructure

THUNDER BAY – EDITORIAL – When the images of families evacuated from Neskantaga First Nation arrived in Thunder Bay again this past week, it was not just a wake-up call—it was a damning indictment of decades of federal and provincial inaction.

The April 13 declaration of emergency—prompted by flooding that shut down the only nursing station—feels tragically familiar. Over 150 residents, many of them children and Elders, were evacuated to Thunder Bay, their lives once again uprooted by a failure not of nature, but of governance.

Neskantaga has lived under a boil water advisory since 1995. That’s nearly 30 years—a full generation—of warnings not to drink from the tap. In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, that is unconscionable.

Neskantaga Water Crisis – Why?

It is not just an infrastructure issue; it’s a human rights failure. Safe drinking water, access to health care, and clean, functioning public facilities should never be luxuries in this country.

This latest crisis is not an isolated event. It is the predictable outcome of chronic underinvestment in First Nations infrastructure, compounded by climate change and government inertia. Yes, the nursing station was flooded. But ask any resident of Neskantaga: the health crisis started long before the water began to rise.

Thunder Bay’s Role

As evacuees settle temporarily in our city, Thunder Bay has a responsibility beyond providing shelter and care. We must amplify their voices. Our media, our institutions, and our residents must not look away when the headlines fade.

We must ask ourselves—how is it that in 2025, a community 450 kilometres north of us still can’t rely on clean water or adequate health care?

A National Shame

This is not just a Northern Ontario problem. It’s a Canadian one. The long-standing promise to end all boil water advisories by 2021 came and went. Yet Neskantaga still waits.

It’s not enough for federal and provincial officials to make fly-in visits during emergencies. What’s needed is a fundamental shift in how governments prioritize and support Indigenous communities. Permanent, reliable infrastructure. Sustainable funding. Local control. And accountability when those fail.

The water crisis in Canada’s First Nations has not been a major issue during the 2025 Election campaign. It should be!

Thunder Bay must stand in solidarity not only during evacuations but in demanding real change.

Because true reconciliation cannot be declared—it must be delivered.