Susan's Debut Book
Water Confidential: Witnessing Justice Denied
A Memoir about First Nations Drinking Water
The shocking truth about Canada’s ongoing water crisis and the government’s failure to provide safe drinking water to First Nations communities.
Water Confidential is now available in the USA, and will be available in Europe at the end of July.
Susan reaffirms Maya Angelou’s quote: “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” and that once written, a story is even more satisfying.
In her first book, she shares the fifteen years when she was supporting her late ex-husband who developed a biological water treatment process for First Nations. She shares the indifference and what she sometimes felt was outright discrimination toward First Nations as they attempted to make safe drinking water a reality for all indigenous communities across Canada. She also touches on the emotional and personal toll that this time in her life cost her.
Canadian taxpayers should be alarmed at how their tax dollars have been spent.
Praise for Water Confidential
“Susan Blacklin's memoir, Water Confidential, should be required reading for all Canadians. With an inside look at how the system snuffs out innovation, this fine, thought-provoking book speaks the generally unknown truths about long-standing water injustices. Canadians should be very concerned—particularly those of us committed to real reconciliation with our Indigenous Peoples.
Her concerns and critical analysis also apply to many other Canadian communities—as she shows, many of the water quality problems that trouble Indigenous communities haunt many other rural water supplies without public awareness or appropriate treatment. In Water Confidential, Susan documents how the SDWF [Safe Drinking Water Foundation] was built with grit and great effort, with personal and family sacrifice.
With great honesty, she shows how various levels of government and other vested interests kept it from achieving widespread acceptance. This is a grand contribution to ecological and Indigenous justice.”
—Harvey Scott, PhD, Professor Emeritus U of Alberta, Elders Council, Keepers of the Water
The Impact
In Water Confidential, you will learn about the history of First Nations drinking water and the current state of water on reserves across Canada. You will also learn about the political and social factors that have contributed to the crisis and the challenges faced by First Nations communities in their efforts to secure safe and clean drinking water for all their people.
Get Involved
The impact of the water crisis on First Nations communities is devastating, and it is up to all of us to take action. There are a number of ways you can get involved and support the fight for clean and safe drinking water, including donating to organizations that work to improve water infrastructure on reserves, contacting your elected representatives to demand action, and educating yourself and others about the issue.