Officials in Fort Hope First Nation are declaring a State of Emergency because of high levels of water contamination.
The community has been on a boil-water advisory for 18 years, but they say tests recently found certain chemicals were over twice the limit allowed in Ontario drinking water.
In a statement, Chief Harvey Yesno says they’ve contacted the federal Minister of Indigenous Services, but received no response, and no funding to upgrade their waste-water system.
Yesno says he’s concerned about the effects of the high levels of chemicals on their most vulnerable members, including newborns, as well as the risk of cancer.
The community of nearly 1,600 people is 360 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.
Last week the remote northern community of Attawapiskat First Nation declared a State of Emergency over similar concerns.
