Publication Repository: The provision of drinking water in First Nations communities and Ontario municipalities: Insight into the emergence of water sharing arrangements

This data set characterizes potable water supply in the province of Ontario in the years 2009-2010. It includes 419 communities: 118 First Nations communities and 301 municipalities. It identifies communities that were supplied in whole or in part through water sharing arrangements (WSAs) during the study period. And it includes a number of key community characteristics: northerness, elevation, population density, remoteness, and regional wealth. This data set was gathered for the purpose of exploring factors influencing local communities in Ontario - First Nations and municipalities - to participate in WSAs. Specifically, in our paper we explore whether First Nations communities – many of which suffer persistently poor drinking water conditions – are less likely to be engaged in WSAs than municipalities. Our findings suggest that while First Nations have a lower rate of WSA particpation compared to municipalities, the likelihood of WSA participation is more strongly influenced by key community characteristics like geography, remoteness and regional wealth. A STATA .do file has been included that contains the commands used in our analysis, for ease of replication. This paper is part of a broader research project on collaborative relationships between First Nations and municipalities in Ontario. For more information on this project, visit the Collaborative Relationships Between First Nations and Municipalities in Ontario project website.