An independent panel of experts began a cross-Canada tour of native communities in Whitehorse on Tuesday, seeking input on new drinking water regulations.

The federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development set up the panel, which includes experts from the native community and the inquiry into the deadly 2000 drinking water tragedy in Walkerton, Ont.

It was set up to address the regulatory void that does not address the worsening conditions of drinking water systems in first nation communities across the country.

Native leaders from the Yukon and northern B.C. attended the public hearing and gave their suggestions to the panel. A few expressed serious concerns with the drinking water supply in their communities.

Chief Ruth Massie of the Ta'an Kwach'an Council told the panel her first nation has two community wells and 12 houses on water delivery.

'We do not have any other infrastructure in our community,' she said.

The first nation relies on the Yukon government to do well assessments and test for contaminants on request.

Massie is concerned that wells in her community are considered private and are omitted from the Yukon's regulatory framework. As a result, the wells are only inspected when YTG experts are invited to test them.

Massie would like to see a task force set up to investigate the drinking water challenge facing first nation communities.

She also wants Indian and Northern Affairs (INAC) to supply start-to-finish funding for a multi-year project to address the issue.

'It's a real concern for Yukon first nations,' she told two of the three members on the panel in Whitehorse for the hearings.

Peter Kirby, capital projects manager for the Taku River Tlingit First Nation of Atlin, B.C., talked about breaking pipes and chronic staff shortages.

Hesitant to talk about regulatory issues directly, he instead discussed a cycle of training new staff for the water system.

'The first nation spends time and money training employees and then these employees leave for higher-paying jobs,' he said.

Kirby said the first nation is left with a 'lack of consistent capacity to operate water systems.'

As a result, necessary maintenance is left undone and systems are not properly monitored. Chlorine has run out more than once, creating the potential for dangerous bacteria to contaminate the water.

Kirby pointed out that 30 to 40 per cent of the Taku River First Nation, which has no other source of revenue, is on social assistance. The community must depend on federal dollars to finance infrastructure and other projects.

The feds will only fund a maximum of 80 per cent of any project, leaving the first nation to pay the rest, a portion Kirby said it has no money to cover.

To compensate, it skims from other programs and projects and cuts corners, he said.

Kirby told the panel the first nation has managed so far by 'good fortune and volunteers.'

'Once the luck runs out, a lot of people are going to be pointing fingers,' he said.

Currently, many sections of the community's galvanized piping are 'paper thin,' he added.

Kirby was disappointed that INAC would appear to have plenty of money to help the community repair their system when it finally fails, but cannot allocate lesser amounts to do preventative maintenance or rebuilding.

'One of the biggest problems for rural communities is inadequate funding for training.'

Kirby said even with large capital investment in a new water system, that money will be wasted without proper personnel to operate and maintain it.

He was also concerned about a lack of proper environmental enforcement, citing instances of raw sewage and mining pollution leaking into lakes and rivers that contribute to the supply of fresh water.

Mining companies, he said, are called by water inspectors days prior to a visit to ensure appropriate company representatives are available to discuss any issues that arise. The companies, Kirby charged, use the delay to get operations into compliance with environmental standards.

'There's an absence of enforcement,' he said.

A Carmacks water truck driver talked about the difficulties his community faced with heavily-contaminated wells and frequent boil water advisories.

He is concerned the Yukon government denies any jurisdiction over the wells, which leave operators like himself liable for contamination unless the chief issues a boil-water advisory.

He would like to see the first nation's wells, which are often considered private wells, be covered by YTG regulations.

Other speakers at the public hearing advocated for Canada-wide standards that would regulate the quality of all first-nation water supplies.

Most speakers at the hearing voiced serious concerns about the safety of their community's drinking water supply and advocated for regulatory changes.

The panel will draft a number of possible regulations that will be reviewed by INAC before more detailed investigations into new regulations begin.