By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer A remote Cree community on the shores of James Bay has declared a state of emergency after its water treatment plant failed this week — a crisis residents say the federal government is responding to far too slowly. Kashechewan First Nation, home to around 2,300 people alongside the Albany River in Ontario’s northern region, is now under a “do not consume” short-term water advisory. Residents have been ordered not to drink tap water or bathe babies and young children in it. In many homes, taps are dry — no water to flush toilets or wash hands. Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley said the community’s broken water system has left young parents scrambling to care for their children. “I have a mother…






