EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER
The shocking state of drinking water in Watson Lake needs to be examined and addressed, says New Democratic Party Leader Liz Hanson.
“How long has the Yukon Party government known about this problem in the community?” Hanson asks.
“How bad is the situation? Why have the riding’s MLA and the minister of Community Services not responded to the concerns expressed by the mayor in his letter? These are just some of the questions we want to see answered.”
If what we read in the newspaper is true, it is shameful that after nine years of Yukon Party rule, and a number of billion-dollar budgets, no action seems to have been taken to improve residents’ access to what is a basic necessity for life.
Once again, the Yukon Party government’s failings have hit Youtube -- www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdgYk5QQ3Tw. In 2009, a Youtube video, titled “Stop Burning Yukon’s Garbage”, exposed the government’s archaic solid waste management practices.
“Access to clean drinking water is a basic human right,” Hanson adds. “It is unacceptable to see some Yukon citizens denied this right. And, regrettably, Watson Lake is not the only recent example. It took joint action by the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation and the Canadian Auto Workers to address the contaminated drinking water problem in Carmacks.”
The Yukon NDP is calling on the government to release all environmental health and water quality reports from Watson Lake, so the public can be fully informed about the safety of its drinking water. It also calls on the government to take steps to address this issue.
“We all know it’s an election year, and the Yukon Party government, and the premier designate, will make promises to fix this problem,” she says. “But the public no longer has trust and confidence in the current government, because it has seen too many promises broken or ignored over the years.”
An NDP government would make access to clean water a right and make cleaning up Watson Lake’s water system a priority. An NDP government would do a full audit on Yukon’s drinking water systems to identify other problem areas. And an NDP government will develop a territory-wide water strategy that will look at our long-term needs and solutions systematically and comprehensively.