As the population of Canada per cent continues to grow, so does the need for water delivery.
While Canada has significant freshwater reserves (9% of the world's renewable freshwater), this water is not always available where needed. With 85% of the population living along the southern border with the United States and most of the country's freshwater draining to the north it is not surprising that those drainage basins with higher freshwater use-to-availability ratios are also located in southern Canada.
Water supply and sanitation in Canada are nearly universal and generally of good quality, but a lack of clean drinking water in many First Nations communities remains a problem. Water use in Canada is high compared to Europe since water tariffs are low and 44% of users are not metered.
Water delivery can be a difficult and time-consuming task.
There are many challenges faced in the water delivery business other than the shortage of clean drinking water around the world. Managing the bottled water delivery business manually has been a tough job. Technology is always trying to provide smart solutions to delivery businesses to maintain growth and improve efficiency.
Water delivery businesses are not easy to manage and manually businesses over the years have faced a lot of issues be it workforce issues, managing the orders, or enhancing customer experience. When it comes to business agility, it means being able to modify things quickly when the situation demands it. As a result, end-to-end digitalization, as detailed in this article, must be implemented throughout the business. In a firm, there can’t be any silos. Manual processes must be phased out! Everyone must be on the same page when it comes to the digital-first agenda.
Time-Saving: For many of us, tap water is simply not palatable, so it can become a real pain to have to keep going to the store to replenish your supply. Fortunately, a delivery service can eliminate this time-consuming chore, as you can schedule your deliveries or make a call when you need an additional delivery. Your water will be delivered straight to your door, saving you time and effort.
Water delivery in Toronto is a complicated process.
In the absence of clean water from the tap, drinking water can be physically hard to reach or inaccessible to some people on reserve. Where there are community water points for treated water, people need to walk to the facility and carry the water back or have access to transport. Ontario’s brutally cold winters make this all the more difficult, with the weather often subzero and snow and blustery winds that can be life-threatening. An elder in Neskantaga First Nation had no water service due to a broken water pipe and had to collect water from the water plant. “It’s a struggle for me to get water,” she said. “It’s not easy in the winter.” She relies on help or resorts to water from a nearby lake.
Poor water and sanitation conditions on reserves in Ontario have a disparate and negative impact on at-risk populations, including people with disabilities, recovering from surgeries or health conditions, the elderly, children, and pregnant women. They face both health concerns and challenges with physical access to alternative water when water advisories warn them against using the water from their taps.
In Canada, there is no dispute that the government has invested money—billions of dollars over decades—to address this issue. The fact remains that a significant number of First Nations persons in Ontario cannot drink the water in their homes—often for long periods. The question remains why this is the case. This section considers whether government action or inaction has constituted a barrier to the realization of the rights to water and sanitation on reserve.