Back in February 2022, three people were killed in a house fire in a Northern Manitoba community. Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation says the federal government should provide more funding to First Nations to have the capacity to fight fires, including fire halls, proper running water and better support for firefighters. “Many First Nations don’t have a fire truck even or running water in some cases. To implement a code is really difficult across the board when there are so many concerns on reserve already.”

First Nations, with support from the Government of Canada, continue to make significant progress in ending long-term drinking water advisories on reserves and building sustainable solutions to support access to safe, clean drinking water. After completing upgrades and expansions to the community's water infrastructure, Sachigo Lake First Nation's Chief and Council recently lifted the long-term drinking water advisory affecting over 500 community members since October 19, 2018.

Cheekbone Beauty is using lipgloss to call out lip service paid by federal governments when it comes to providing safe drinking water to Indigenous communities. The fact that reserves, First Nations and Indigenous communities have struggled for access to clean drinking water has been known for years, and fixing the issue has been a focal point of major party platforms in the last three federal elections.