Siksika Nation Celebrates as Decades-Long Boil Water Advisory Finally Lifted

Residents of Siksika Nation are celebrating after a 28-year boil water advisory was officially lifted following the completion of a new $62-million water treatment plant, a milestone that Chief and Council call long overdue.

A Generation Without Clean Water

The boil water advisory, first issued in 1996, meant that an entire generation of Siksika residents grew up without access to safe drinking water from their taps. Families relied on bottled water, water deliveries, and boiling for daily needs.

“My children are teenagers and they have never been able to drink water from the tap in their own home,” said Siksika mother Tanya Scout. “Today changes everything.”

The New Plant

The state-of-the-art treatment facility, funded primarily by the federal government ($48 million) with contributions from the province and Siksika Nation, can process 12 million litres of water per day and serves all 4,200 on-reserve residents. It includes a new distribution network of 35 kilometres of water mains.

Chief Ouray Crowfoot said the celebration is bittersweet, noting that access to clean water should never have taken this long.

“Clean drinking water is a basic human right, not a luxury. The fact that it took 28 years for our community to receive what every Canadian city takes for granted is a stain on this country’s conscience,” Crowfoot said.

Broader Context

Siksika’s advisory was among the longest-standing in Canada. While the federal government has lifted 143 long-term drinking water advisories on First Nations since 2015, 28 remain in effect nationally. Indigenous leaders say the pace of progress remains unacceptable.

The community marked the occasion with a feast, drum ceremony, and water blessing led by Elders.