When Brennen Mcguire, a TikTok creator with two ghosts, posted a video last January, he hadn’t expected the overwhelming response it received.
“I didn’t know I would have that kind of range,” he says.
After living on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Reservation in southeastern Ontario for nine months, he didn’t want to use TikTok to copy the latest dance routines. He wanted to highlight some First Nations reserves where clean drinking water is still impossible to find.
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Last January, from his account called @slapppps, Mcguire showed black water spurting from the pipes of his house. The video went viral and reached 2.5 million views.
“You don’t realize that thirst is a frightening situation until you are thirsty and run out of water.”
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His videos started with footage from his own reservation and then highlighted others from Canada facing the same problem. Some of these are Chippewas from Nawash First Nation in Ontario, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, and Star Blanket Cree Nation.
According to the federal government, there are 51 long-term drinking water consultations in 32 indigenous communities across the country.
“Our current Prime Minister has promised many times to fix this problem. It was his campaign promise, ”said Mcguire.
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In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the United Nations General Assembly that “our efforts include investment to provide safe and clean drinking water to all indigenous communities.”
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As of November 2015, 108 long-term drinking water warnings have been lifted, but a new water system can take three to four years, so there is still a long way to go.
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Mcguire says he grew up in a household where he had the privilege of getting clean water whenever he wanted. After moving to Tyendinaga, the water problem became real to him.
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He says it is shocking and startling that getting clean water is now part of his routine. Mcguire said he now had to drive 20 to 30 minutes to the water treatment plant in Napanee to get clean drinking water.
“It’s not a routine that I thought I should ever be a part of,” he said.
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It is being built to repair its reserve, but there are still some roads in need of clean water.
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While the federal government is continuing to work on the topic, external organizations such as Water First Education and Training Inc., founded in 2009, have strengthened their position. They help First Nations communities solve local water challenges through education, training, and collaboration.
Today they work with more than 50 indigenous communities across Canada.
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Mcguire says he is making videos that are easily accessible and shared on social media to raise awareness of other reserves in need of help.
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“Now [there are] 25 million people who know this is a problem, ”he said. “To be recognized is the beginning, because we haven’t been there yet.”
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