![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kashechewan_MAP.png\")
<\/p>\nMore than 2,000 residents without running water since early December<\/p>\n
\u2b50\ufe0fHERE\u2019S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW\u2b50\ufe0f<\/p>\n
\tKashechewan First Nation in Ontario is facing a water crisis.
\n\tCommunity members haven\u2019t had running water since early December.
\n\tThe water crisis stems from failures at a local water treatment plant.
\n\tCommunity leaders are moving to evacuate all 2,300 residents.\u00a0
\n\tKeep reading to find out how one teen is experiencing the crisis. \u00a0\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Fifteen-year-old Keisha Paulmartin hasn\u2019t been able to take a proper shower since early December.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate feeling dirty and the fact that I can’t shower just takes a toll on my mental health. It\u2019s dehumanizing,\u201d she told CBC Kids News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the right to be clean.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Keisha and thousands of others on Kashechewan First Nation in Ontario haven\u2019t had access to water for a month due to issues in their local water treatment plant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Jan. 4, Chief Hosea Wesley declared a state of local emergency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some residents have already been relocated , and community leaders are hoping to evacuate most \u00a0of the community in coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Although steps are being taken to address the crisis, Keisha and other community members have been frustrated with the response.<\/p>\n
They say the crisis is just another issue that has left them feeling neglected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What happened?<\/p>\n
The Kashechewan First Nation is a Cree community of around 2,300 people that is located along northern Ontario\u2019s James Bay coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(Graphic design by Philip Street\/CBC)<\/p>\n
In early December, pumps in the local water treatment plant that clean the community\u2019s drinking water failed.<\/p>\n
Later that month, a device that brings raw sewage into the plant also failed.<\/p>\n
The issues have affected not only drinking water, but have shut off water in general for basic services, even leading to a sewage backup in the community\u2019s small clinic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot_2026-01-12_at_12.45.19\u202fPM_.png\")
<\/p>\n
A family from Kashechewan First Nation boards a plane headed for Kapuskasing, Ont., as evacuations begin due to a water crisis. (Submitted by Tyson Wesley)<\/p>\n
Keisha, who is a member of Kashechewan\u2019s youth council, says the crisis is taking a toll.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sucks because we can\u2019t flush our toilets, take a shower, or even wash our hands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Keisha says that many residents have been travelling down to the river to retrieve water and bring it back to their houses, but not everyone has a vehicle to transport the river water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those households have been given bottled water, but that also poses a\u00a0problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is some households may have six or seven children and the water they\u2019re being given isn\u2019t going far enough,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
And not having running water is creating problems that even Keisha couldn\u2019t have foreseen \u2014 like illness spreading during a flu outbreak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine how many more people are getting sick because nobody can wash their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Community says they feel neglected\u00a0<\/p>\n
Community members have said that the slow response to addressing the crisis has been frustrating.<\/p>\n
They say it’s\u00a0just another among a series of ongoing issues their community faces that makes them feel neglected.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost every few months it seems like something with the water plant happens,\u201d said Keisha.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously since water is a human right, it just feels like whoever is supposed to be providing that water or the solutions to the problems just don\u2019t care enough,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On top of the water woes, \u00a0the community has been forced to evacuate many times in the spring because Kaschewan is located in a flood plain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot_2026-01-12_at_2.57.18\u202fPM_.png\")
<\/p>\n
Homes in Kashechewan First Nation don’t have access to running water due to a failure at the community’s water treatment plant. (Image credit: Olivia Stefanovich\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Tyson Wesley, Kashechewan First Nation\u2019s executive director, says for 30 years community members have been urging the federal government to move them to an area to the north that is less prone to flooding, but nothing has been done.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been kind of left aside and forgotten, and our issues have kind of grown over the years,\u201d Wesley told CBC Sudbury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we\u2019re seeing that impact happening now and it\u2019s our people that are the ones that pay the price of our government\u2019s inaction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week, Wesley said he thought the response to the current crisis was \u201cnot good enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I don’t think they understand that these are children, these are people. I think one of the comments that I\u2019ve been hearing from our community members is, \u2018We are people. We are human beings and we deserve clean water.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
What\u2019s being done?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kashechewan\u2019s leaders are working with the federal and provincial governments for a full evacuation of the First Nation\u2019s 2,300 residents.<\/p>\n
A handful of flights have already been chartered to relocate the most vulnerable people in the community to places like Kapuskasing, and Timmins, both in Ontario, among other cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More flights are planned to Kingston and Niagara Falls, Ontario.<\/p>\n
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) confirmed that workers with a company called Northern Waterworks were deployed to the community to repair the water treatment plant.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s unclear when the repairs will be done.<\/p>\n
The company was able to replace a pump in the lift station and was bringing in additional equipment to complete the repairs.<\/p>\n
ISC also said that Indigenous partners are being approached to support mental wellness.<\/p>\n
The Department of National Defence is also providing a group of Canadian Rangers to help with the evacuation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an evolving situation, and we will continue to respond to all critical needs, to support community members and leadership through this evacuation, and to get people back home as soon as possible,\u201d said ISC.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\ufeff\ufeffHave more questions? \ufeffWant to tell us how we’re doing? Use the \u201csend us feedback\u201d link below. \u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f\u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
With files from Jonathan Migneault\/CBC\u00a0
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