As the new school year begins, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) is providing an update on drinking water safety at three Yellowknife Education District No. 1 schools: École William McDonald Middle School, Range Lake North School and N.J. Macpherson School.

Mitigation measures are being implemented at all three schools based on expert guidance and proven best practices. These steps are designed to ensure long-term drinking water safety.

At École William McDonald Middle School:

• All fountains, faucets, and food preparation fixtures are being replaced. Two new drinking fountains have been installed, with the remaining units expected by Thursday.
• New food preparation fixtures are being installed at all locations this week.
• Point-of-use activated carbon filters are expected to be installed at every drinking water and food preparation fixture by early next week. These filters remove lead regardless of its source, ensuring that water is safe to drink.
• Water will be tested once all new fixtures and filters are in place, with results available within 24 hours. This is expected to happen by the end of next week.

At Range Lake North School:

• All fountains, faucets, and food preparation fixtures are being replaced this week.
• An automated flushing system will be installed once all new components are in place. This is expected to take about one month.
• A manual flushing program will be in place until the automated system is operating.
• Water will be tested once all new fixtures are in place, with results available within 24 hours. This is expected to happen by the middle of next week.

At N.J. Macpherson School:

• Follow-up testing at N.J. Macpherson school was carried out on August 20th. The school was prioritized for testing due to earlier results showing elevated levels of lead. See August 23rd PSA for more information.
• One pending result has now been received, confirming lead levels below the guideline.
• Five sinks used for drinking or food preparation tested above Health Canada’s guideline (5 µg/L) in Tier 2 sampling, while all drinking fountains and water bottle fill stations tested below the guideline and remain available for use. Replacement components are on order and expected to arrive in mid-September.
• Installation will take place as soon as parts arrive.

Next Steps:

• Drinking water service at affected schools will only resume once:
  • new safety systems are in place;
  • follow-up testing confirms water is safe; and
  • approval is given by the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer.
• Filters will be monitored and replaced as needed throughout the school year.
• Territory-wide school testing will begin as soon as possible, using a priority approach guided by national best practices and advice from the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer – the same priority approach that was used to guide testing for N.J. Macpherson. Priority factors include the age of the facility, existing water quality data, age of students, and results from initial random sampling.
• A detailed testing protocol is being finalized and will be reviewed by the Office of the Chief Public Health Officer.

Current and former staff who have concerns about workplace lead exposure can submit a Worker’s Report of Injury to the Workers’ Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC). WSCC staff are available to assist with reporting.

The GNWT is committed to safe drinking water in schools and will continue to monitor systems, conduct regular testing, and share updates as the territory-wide testing program moves forward.

Related Links:

• Stantec report: Range Lake School
• Stantec report: William MacDonald School
• Report: Investigation into the Testing Program for Drinking Water in Northwest Territories Schools
  • Note: This report has been redacted to remove position titles and other personally identifying details. Where a position title was removed, it has been replaced with the name of the organization the position belongs to.
• WSCC Worker’s Report of Injury Form  
• Monitoring and Testing of Water in the NW

For media requests, please contact:

Agata Gutkowska
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Department of Education, Culture and Employment
Government of the Northwest Territories
agata_gutkowska@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9352 ext. 71073

Andrew Wind
Manager, Communications
Health and Social Services                                                                                 
Government of the Northwest Territories
HSSMedia@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9052 ext. 49034

Jacqueline McKinnon
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Infrastructure
Government of the Northwest Territories
INF_Communications@gov.nt.ca
867-767-9088 ext. 31166