Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Report, 2022
Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation
Description: Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Long-term drinking water advisories for public systems on Indigenous reserves
Almost half of long-term drinking water advisoriesNote 1 on public systems on Indigenous reserves south of the 60th parallel in 2021, while 7 advisories were added. At the end of 2021, 36 advisories remained in effect.
Note: Drinking water advisories are issued to warn people not to drink water that may be unsafe or is known to not be safe based on water quality test results. Drinking water advisories are considered to be long-term when they have been in place for more than one year.
Water usage in 2019
Total water usage totalled 4,866 million kilolitres, a 3% decrease since 2015. The residential sector accounted for half of total water usage. The daily residential use per capita was 215 litres, equivalent to almost 110 two-litre bottles.
The wealthiest 20% of Canadians spent almost five times more than the poorest 20% on water and sewage for their principal accommodation in 2019.
Average daily residential water use per capita, 2019
Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest per-capita residential water use.
| Geography | Litres |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 448 |
| Prince Edward Island | 181 |
| Nova Scotia | 170 |
| New Brunswick | 264 |
| Quebec | 262 |
| Ontario | 172 |
| Manitoba | 158 |
| Saskatchewan | 191 |
| Alberta | 176 |
| British Columbia | 274 |
| Yukon | 385 |
| Northwest Territories | 247 |
| Nunavut | 136 |
Water conservation practices of households in 2019
| Water conservation practice | Percentage of households |
|---|---|
| Low-volume toilet | 53% |
| Low-flow shower head | 52% |
| Outdoor water barrel or cistern | 14% |
Community spotlight: Water First
Water First is a Canadian charitable organization that partners with Indigenous communities to address critical water challenges through education, training and meaningful collaboration with the aim of supporting independent local water management.
To date, Water First has collaborated with over 65 Indigenous communities across Canada. They completed 31,952 hours of training in 2021/2022 across all programs, which gave 1,220 school-aged students the opportunity to have hands-on STEM training. Its Drinking Water Internship Program is projected to train and certify 35 young Indigenous adults as water treatment plant operators by October 2022.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Biennial Drinking Water Plants Survey, 2019, Survey of Household Spending, 2019, Households and the Environment Survey, 2019; Indigenous Services Canada, Ending long-term drinking water advisories, 2022; Water First, Annual Report, 2022.
- Date modified: