Grassy Narrows First Nation leaders have made drinking water an election issue in the Kenora riding.

They maintain that the government of Canada failed to act for 15 years after it knew that Grassy Narrows water violated safety limits for tubidity and possible cancer causing chemicals.

“The government of Canada, and our MP Greg Rickford, have been asleep at the wheel when it comes to providing safe drinking water to our community,” Chief Roger Fobister said Wednesday. “We need our treatment plant fixed and upgraded right away. I am calling on all candidates to declare a date by which they would have safe tap water flowing for our families.”

According to the band news release, Health Canada found THMs, a possibly cancer causing chemical, at levels above the safety limit in drinking water at the Grassy Narrows day-care centre in 1999.

More than 15 years later Ontario Ministry of the Environment monitoring found that levels of THMs and HAAs in Grassy Narrows drinking water were still above the safety limit in samples taken this spring.

The tainted tap water problems have likely persisted since the water system was built with a deficient design in 1993. Problems with tainted tap water and fundamental design flaws in the water treatment plant have been known by government for at least 15 years, but Canada has yet to fix them or even set a timeline for providing safe tap water to the community, the band says.

Other parts of the community have yet to be connected to piped water, and have relied on well water that exceeds uranium safety limits.

Grassy Narrows has been on a boil water advisory since June 2014, but boiling water does not remove HAAs and only removes some THMs. Parts of the community using well water were put on a “do not consume” order in 2013. But a report to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs shows that the well water had uranium detected above the safety limit in 2010.

The tested wells likely had high uranium levels throughout their three decades of operations, the band said.

Last week Grassy Narrows declared a state of emergency over unsafe drinking water conditions.

“Why should we live with unsafe tap water for our families,” asked deputy Chief Randy Fobister. “Our children deserve to have clean water like any other Canadian would expect. We will not tolerate this for one more day.”

NDP Kenora riding candidate Howard Hampton blamed the Conservatives for Grassy Narrows being forced to declare a state of emergency over unsafe drinking water.

“It’s shameful that the community of Grassy Narrows has to endure these kinds of conditions,” said Hampton.

“The Grassy Narrows state of emergency underscores the growing crisis of lack of access to safe and clean drinking water many First Nations communities live under.

“After decades of inaction and empty promises, an NDP government will usher in a new era of relations with Indigenous communities in Canada on a nation-to-nation basis,” Hampton added.

Liberal candidate Bob Nault said the Conservative Government likes to talk about its “historic” investment in infrastructure projects, but he wonders where the investment in water treatment facilities are on First Nations.

Neskantaga First Nation and Shoal Lake 40 First Nation have remained under boil water advisories for the entirety of the Harper decade, he said.

“Clean drinking water is something many of us take for granted. It’s hard to believe that in Canada, our government would turn a blind eye to a community that lacks access to clean drinking water.

“Living conditions on Shoal Lake are unacceptable,” Nault added.

Kenora Conservative incumbent Greg Rickford released the following statement on First Nations drinking water from Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt.

“Our Government has taken concrete steps to help ensure that First Nations across Canada have the same quality of drinking water as all Canadians.

“This is why since 2006 we have invested approximately $3 billion to complete more than 220 major projects and funded maintenance of over 1,200 water and wastewater treatment projects,” Valcourt said.

“Additionally, Economic Action Plan 2014 committed over $320 million to continue to implement our First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan which by the way the opposition has voted against.

“Our Government also introduced the Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act which aims to provide First Nations communities with drinking water and wastewater standards that are comparable to provincial or territorial standards off reserve.

“Federal officials are reaching out to the Grassy Narrows First Nation and the province of Ontario to determine how they can be of assistance,” Valcourt added.